The Princess and the Dragon
by Kohaku no Hime
Summary: In which an unusual princess has to deal with dragons, enchantments, and combinations thereof. AU, eventual Polarshipping.
1. Prologue

_Soooo. Brain child of mine that I've been working on for a while, ever since the idea popped up when I wrote a corresponding drabble for the LJ community "ygodrabble". _

_Obviously this is AU, set in medieval times, and there will be eventual Polarshipping. Also, because this is the first time I've ever written something so blatantly AU I'll be updating weekly, depending on my schedule, to make sure I get everything right. _

_All sorts of characters are going to pop up in this little fic, but _please _don't make requests as to who you want to see. I already have decided on the cast and their roles—barring unforeseen circumstances, that list won't change. Oh, and surprise—most of the characters have their dub names (cue wide-eyed disbelieving stares: "KoK, you're using _dub_ names?")_

_On a final note, sorry to leave this chapter on such a cliff-hanger. Then again…aren't all prologues meant to be just that?_

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><p>Mai had not entirely resented the request from the neighboring kingdom when it had arrived. Her parents had been after her to marry and settle down and this seemed like a good opportunity as any to do as they asked; compared to her passive parents she was bolder and more inclined to speak her mind (as had been the case with her real name—which she <em>still<em> refused to divulge). Then again, Mai also understood that this was so her parents would not have to deal with her anymore—even as a child Mai did not fit the role of a traditional princess and they'd tried to marry her off before, though it had been to lesser kingdoms and none of the princes had ever caught her eye.

…And to an extent she could not blame her parents in wanting to marry her off. She'd nearly caused two wars because she had driven off her suitors unmercifully—but what could she say? She was picky, for heaven's sake! She wasn't going to marry some run of the mill prince whose kingdom could be conquered in a heartbeat!

This time, though, she had gone voluntarily. Unlike the other kingdoms this one was more prosperous and its prince was a daring and brave man, not to mention that she'd heard rumors he was also quite handsome. She figured that it would at least benefit her to go see this prince; if nothing else, she could get away from her somewhat overbearing parents for a while. She'd arrived to that kingdom that morning and the prince had been there to meet her at the drawbridge.

It had only taken her five minutes to realize that Prince Jean Claude was an idiot. The man was too full of himself, even for her tastes. Nonetheless, he was prosperous, rich, and good looking to boot—all criteria that Mai needed to live a comfortable life. First appearances weren't everything, right? She had decided to give him a chance and see where it went from there.

But now, looking back on it all, she realized that none of that mattered any more.

Because being carried off by a dragon in the middle of the night, with high chances of being eaten later, tended to put things in perspective.


	2. The Arrival

_A quick note to clear things up: I will be using primarily dub names as mentioned before, but don't be surprised if, after this chapter, I start altering the names a little (and in some cases, keep sub names)._

_Also, this chapter nearly didn't happen because of the week I've been having and may be subject to a little tweaking. Please, if there are any typos let me know :D_

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><p>Mai pulled back on the reins of her horse and studied the castle, her violet eyes sweeping over the stone battlements and three different towers before sighing. "Great, yet another castle that—surprise—looks the same," she said, readjusting her position on the side-saddle. She sincerely hated this thing, but her parents had not allowed her to take the royal carriage and so she had to ride her own mount to the neighboring kingdom.<p>

Her lady in waiting pulled up alongside her, laughing. She briefly straightened the yellow gown before redirecting her attention to Mai. "Honey, you have not even given this a chance!" she replied airily, looking at the castle with interest in her brown eyes. "I do have to admit it looks the same, but the prince will not. In fact, I've heard he's quite handsome!"

"Your optimism is truly inspiring, Vivian. Remember your place, though," responded Mai with a tired smile. "It's not proper for a lady in waiting to speak about a man in that fashion, especially if the man in question is in a position higher than yours."

The two women exchanged glances before laughing out loud. That line had been a reprimand from Mai's mother that, over the years, had lost all effectiveness on her daughter and her lady in waiting; once the queen had tried replacing Vivian with a more mature woman to look after her daughter, but Mai had given the stern (and thoroughly unpleasant, might she point out in her defense) woman such a hard time that the queen had allowed Vivian to keep her position.

From behind her a young black-haired man pulled up on his own horse; clothed in crimson and black garments, he only vaguely stood out from the background of the forest. "We're almost there, thank heaven," he said, scanning the surrounding forest for any sign of trouble.

"My lord, you can take it easy, you know," chided Vivian teasingly. "You're doing a guard's job."

"I concur. Duke, you've been on edge since we first set off from home," Mai added, shooting her cousin an amused smile. "Relax."

"I'm only agreed to escort you over there as far as this kingdom because I have to return to mine and this particular one is on my route back. If we're attacked by bandits it'll be hard to deter them from kidnapping you. That dress you're wearing would not exactly convince them to leave us in peace," retorted Duke flatly, looking at Mai's gown in annoyance; the purple gown with white trim she was wearing, though low cut, was one of her favorites because it was comfortable and because it matched her eyes.

The blonde woman huffed, tossing her braid behind her shoulder; in this weather she had to wear her hair up because the weight of her golden tresses often made muggy weather downright miserable, but she honestly hated keeping her hair back. "Duke, you're just using the thief excuse so that you don't have to tell us about that silly dragon again."

Duke pulled his horse alongside. "It's not so silly. Rumor has it in this kingdom that there's a dragon wreaking all sorts of mayhem. The only reason no one has really dealt with it is because it has not attacked the castle yet."

Mai openly laughed. "I will believe there's a dragon when I see the creature for myself," she retorted, urging her horse into a trot. Duke easily caught up, as did Vivian. "Speaking of rumors, what have you heard of this prince I'll be visiting?"

"I saw him a few weeks ago, just before I left to visit you, Mai. He is nothing but a pompous buffoon," replied Duke sourly.

"As you keep telling me," replied Mai easily, letting her horse back into a walk. "But I still have yet to hear anything else."

"That is because there is nothing else. The prince lived pretty much out of sight of the population until only recently, when he set off on some journey. When he returned he announced that he would no longer hide behind the doors of his castle and his kingdom would see more of him."

"Ohhh, a man of mystery," crooned Vivian, her eyes lighting up in interest once again.

Mai raised an eyebrow, also curious. "Why has he stayed out of sight for so long?" she asked.

Duke shrugged. "Supposedly the kingdom was under the threat of an enchantress and to protect the royal line the king kept his children out of sight. The prince has a sister, but no one's ever seen her."

Mai's other eyebrow rose. "And you mentioned he was on a journey?"

"Yes, supposedly to conquer other lands and to seek out rare treasures. Beyond that, Mai, I do not know anything else."

The blonde woman nodded, more to herself than anything. At least this man sounded like he was able to conquer his enemies and to bring prosperity to the land; she had to wonder about the reason for keeping the prince out of sight for so long (she did not doubt Duke's explanation entirely, as her father had dealt with other sorcerers in the past) and she did wonder if Duke's opinion of the man was based solely on what he'd seen in that one encounter. For all she knew he was actually a lot more humble now that he'd had time to mellow out.

"On another note, I find it interesting you did not bring any of your guards from home."

Duke's somewhat dubious statement brought Mai out of her thoughts and she scoffed, folding her arms across her chest. "The guards that Father wanted me to bring all take their jobs too seriously. You also have your own escort to consider—too many guards would draw attention to us."

"That may be true, but there's still something else to consider," replied the raven-haired man, steering his black stallion closer to Mai's mare. "You'll be all on your own in that castle should something happen. It is not exactly something I am comfortable with—you heard that right, Vivian, get that disbelieving look off your face— let alone your parents."

Mai winked at him. "I can take care of myself, and if not I've got Vivian," she said, gesturing to the beaming lady on her other side.

As if in emphasis the black-haired woman flicked her arm casually and twirled the small but lethal looking knife that had suddenly appeared in her fingers before it disappeared back up her sleeve; Vivian doubled as both her lady in waiting and as her bodyguard, since the woman could be present in almost every place Mai would be. It was the only way that the princess could convince her parents to allow Vivian to regain her post, seeing how as her parents believed her rebellious nature stemmed from her.

She looked at the castle once again but blinked in surprise when she saw a black shadow disappear behind the clouds that surrounded the castle. She did a double take, squinting at the clouds to see if she could see it again; that was far too big to be a bird and there was no way on earth that was a cloud either.

"Milady?" asked Vivian, pulling back on the reins and looking at the other woman. "What is it?"

Mai looked back at her and shrugged dismissively. "I had thought I'd seen something…but I guess I was just imagining things," she said with a laugh. Mai had thought that the object was—but no, it had been because Duke had just been discussing dragons.

She'd merely been seeing things.

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><p>Mai felt her eye twitch.<p>

When they had reached the entrance to the kingdom it was to find a reasonably sized band of men waiting from them, sent by the prince to escort Mai to the castle safely. Duke had left Mai in the care of the captain of the guard himself before setting off for home; clearly the prince had wanted to make a good first impression on his guest and had therefore sent the best of his guards to greet her.

She would have been more touched by this gesture if the prince had come himself—and more so if the captain actually _liked_ her.

She glanced at Vivian, who was looking just as annoyed as she was, before returning her attention to the tall and burly man astride the draft horse; he had not said a word to her beyond a curt greeting, but there was no mistaking the way his mouth had turned down when he'd seen her. Mai would say something, but his height and demeanor made him far too imposing and she was certain that if she spoke now she risked being the catalyst for yet another almost-war.

Vivian seemed to have read her mind. "Captain, my lady is tired and we've been traveling all day. Could we make haste to your master's castle, before the sun goes down?" she asked formally, earning her a startled look from the princess. Her lady in waiting knew how to be polite when needed be.

The man's head turned and his blue eyes went to the princess first before going to Vivian. Disapproval was clearly etched in every sharp line of his face (Mai could not help but compare his features to that of a hawk), but nonetheless he said a polite, "Very well. That is a manageable feat," and their pace noticeably quickened.

Mai huffed, readjusting her amethyst-studded tiara atop her hair before glancing at Vivian. "Do you think he's part giant? He's about as polite as one," she asked in a loud whisper, uncaring of whether or not the man heard her. Sure enough, she noticed his shoulders tighten under the iron pauldrons he was wearing with his armor and smirked when he urged his horse a little further ahead of them.

Beside her a red-haired archer glanced at Mai and snorted derisively before following after the captain; earlier Mai had made the mistake of assuming that this had been a woman, but as it turned out the archer in question was a man and since then he'd made no secret that he disliked her.

Mai scowled at the man and looked to Vivian with an irritable sigh. "Is it something I'm wearing?"she asked skeptically. "I don't think so, since the rest of these guards don't seem to have that problem," she continued, looking around her at the men who were trying not to stare at her outright.

"It probably _is_ your attire, Your Majesty, but then again…you there, guard. The one with red hair," said Vivian haughtily, causing the addressed man to look at her with an incredibly bored expression on his face. "You have displayed discourteous behavior to my lady. Apologize at once."

The captain glanced at the smaller guard and Mai noted that this time the disapproving frown was directed at the archer, though it had slightly softened. "Alister," he said gruffly.

"I sincerely apologize, Your Highness," said Alister promptly, sounding thoroughly unconvincing as he nudged his horse's sides with his heels. "With your permission, captain, I'll ride ahead and let the prince know we are near."

The blond man dipped his head and the archer directed a mock bow to Mai (at which her eyes narrowed and she clenched her teeth) before riding away.

"What a thoroughly unpleasant man," Mai muttered, though she wished she could have said something a little more vehement—clearly the captain had his own opinion of her and she hoped to at least attempt to sway it. To do that meant holding her tongue—for now

"Yes…if you'd like, Your Highness, I could instill some manners in that archer," murmured Vivian, watching the man leave with narrowed eyes. "I could also give the captain a piece of my mind. They'd show the proper respect in no time."

"Don't trouble yourself," replied the blonde woman, readjusting her tiara. "They are not worth the effort. I appreciate the offer, though. Glad to know someone here likes me."

Vivian winked, her stern features melting away almost immediately, but then gasped as their group rounded the corner. "This castle looks a lot more imposing when we're up close to it," she said faintly.

Mai had to agree. Though the light colored gray brick walls were similar to others she had seen in visits to other kingdoms, the red shingles on the rooftops of the towers and thick oak doors certainly helped change her impression quickly; when she saw the impressive carving of the prince's seal—a dragon in flight over a castle tower—on the front doors of the castle she had to admit it was better than what she had been expecting.

The captain led them over a wooden drawbridge and into the castle, while Mai began looking around. She was doubly impressed by the inside of the castle, which was lush, green, and flowering in a few areas; she could assume that these were gardens, probably for the elusive princess that Duke had briefly mentioned in their conversation. But this was merely the front of the castle; Mai was certain there was more to the castle grounds then what she could immediately see. The man led their small group past these gardens and to a courtyard.

Waiting for them on the steps of the palace was a brown haired man, and judging by the regal way he was carrying himself—and the jewels she could see clearly from here that he was wearing around his neck—she could safely assume this was the prince "Hello, my dear!" he called, the puffy sleeves of his silk shirt visible from under the red velvet cape he was wearing. "I am Jean Claude and I welcome you to my humble castle. I would have done more to produce a grander welcome, but I have only just returned recently from a journey and have had no time to prepare a proper welcoming party," he continued with a small laugh.

Mai carefully dismounted from the horse she had been riding (with the help from the captain, who looked as if he would have rather mucked out the stables) and smoothed out the skirt of her gown with a practiced sweep of her hands, allowing the man to take the reins of her mount. "I am glad to be here," she recited politely, still annoyed by the trek to the castle.

The lack of enthusiasm in this reply had clearly gone over the prince's head. "I figured I would greet you for myself, milady, as I could not meet you at the kingdom gates as I had initially planned," he said, eyeing her appreciatively. "You really are as beautiful as the rumors said you were, perhaps more so now that I see you in person. In fact, none of the things I've heard have done you justice."

At this Mai slightly warmed up. "Thank you," she replied, injecting a little more friendliness in her tone. "This is my lady in waiting, Vivian," she continued, gesturing to the woman that was standing beside her. She heard Vivian let out an approving sigh—though that might have been an admiring one. She could not tell and she dared not look for fear of bursting into laughter.

Jean Claude beamed at her as he took her hand and kissed it. He straightened up and said, "Well, time is short, my dear. We really must get you settled in after your long journey, as there will be a feast in honor of your arrival."

Mai's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Why, thank you," she replied, warming up even more.

"It is nothing for a man of my position," replied Jean Claude dismissively, laughing airily. "I often throw feasts for my guests, since I have the means of doing so."

He looked over at where the captain was standing and snapped his fingers. "See to the stabling of the princess's horse and of the things that she may have brought with her."

The captain's mouth turned down at the corner but said nothing, instead leading the princess's mount forward; now that he was not on his own horse he had lost some of his imposing stature, but even so the man was still taller than the prince and much more muscled (even if it was because he was armored there was no way to mistake that fact).

"Dear princess, this is Raphael, the captain of my guards. He does not say much and sometimes has all the intelligence of a troll, but you won't find a more loyal soldier anywhere," explained Jean Claude, sweeping an arm to the man as he continued what he was doing. "Always quick to obey, that one."

Raphael's head snapped backward to them and Mai was surprised by the amount of venom that was channeled into his glare, even more so when she realized he was directing it to the prince. The look was gone in a second when he noticed Mai watching at him and his face cleared.

"Alister, escort the princess's mount and that pack horse they brought to the stable. Once that's done have the men see to the distribution of the princess's things" ordered the man curtly, and the red-haired archer from earlier suddenly appeared alongside him. Beside her, Vivian let out a startled gasp and Mai could not help but be surprised as well—the slender man had come from absolutely nowhere.

Mai recovered and inwardly smirked when she realized she had a way to get back at the captain for the earlier rude reception. "My trunk is quite heavy," she began, watching in some satisfaction when Raphael paused to look over at her. "It will take a very strong man to carry it to wherever I may be residing during my stay."

"No need to fret, milady," said Jean Claude almost immediately, taking her hand. "Raphael here will see to your trunk. He's among the strongest of my guards."

The earlier dark expression flitted across Raphael's face once again but he did not argue, instead striding over to where the other guards were and giving them rapid fire orders as they began moving for the stables. Vivian grinned at her and Mai lifted her chin in triumph when Raphael glanced backward, though the man merely rolled his eyes and continued on with his tasks.

"Come, Princess Mai," stated Jean Claude with a small clap, taking her hand once again. "Let the common folk sort out your affairs. In the meantime, let me show you around my castle."


	3. The Dragon

_AHAHAHA. I couldn't resist when I was writing this chapter...look for an Easter egg and see if you can't find it (hint: think people)._

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><p>"…And over here we have this <em>exquisite<em> tapestry, imported all the way from the Orient," Jean Claude announced proudly, gesturing to the silk tapestry. "I found it in a small grotto where an ugly ogre lived and was terrorizing that particular village. Needless to say, I came out on top."

Mai repressed a sigh but nodded politely, glancing at where Vivian was next to her. She felt a spike of irritation that the woman was looking at Jean Claude with a look that honestly bordered on ridiculous; her lady in waiting looked as if she was about to swoon.

The interior of the castle matched the exterior, in that it was well furnished by statues and intricate carvings in the stone and wooden pillars; suits of armor lined the halls and a lush red carpet runner went down the halls, while countless banners from conquered enemies went down the walls. Mai had not minded this much and in fact had been impressed by it, but once the tour had started Jean Claude seemed to decide that he was going to brag to her on every object in the castle…which, according to him, he'd either won in combat or bought.

So basically, Jean Claude was bragging about himself and had been for the past two hours.

"You certainly have accomplished much in your short reign," she said monotonously, not impressed. Most princes she visited tended to brag about their accomplishments, but this one…God, was there something he _hadn't_ done?

Jean Claude beamed at her, gesturing to the sword at his hip. "I could not have done it without this marvelous sword of mine," he declared, patting the exquisitely made sheath affectionately. "It's an enchanted blade, and inside this meager oak sheath is a sword made from the scales of the White Dragon."

Mai resisted the urge to roll her eyes. His false humility was starting to wear on her and he had mentioned dragons. Was everyone always so focused on dragons or was that a detail she'd missed out on until now?

"I see you doubt me, milady," laughed the prince, catching sight of the skeptical frown and misunderstanding it. "I assure you, I had quite a time figuring out how to get the beast's master to allow me a few scales from the dragon, but in the end I triumphed," he said, smiling at her.

From somewhere behind them they heard someone clear their throat and the three of them turned to look backward; three gazes landed on a young and nervous looking page. "I hate to trouble you, Your Majesty," began the man anxiously. "But there is a matter requiring your attention and—"

"Yes yes, I'll attend to it in a moment," replied Jean Claude impatiently, waving the man away.

"That reminds me, Jean Claude, how many servants do you require to keep this castle going?" asked Mai. When Jean Claude looked at her with a startled expression she clarified her question by adding, "I couldn't help but notice that there are a lot of things to dust and clean. I merely wondered how many servants you had."

Jean Claude sighed sadly. "I wish you had not asked me, my dear, as I had hoped to keep such a thing under wraps," he said, though judging by that expression on his face he was pleased that he got to brag some more. "While I was out on my latest journey I received word from a loyal servant in the castle that my steward was plotting to overthrow me."

A startled expression flitted across Vivian's features. "Really?" she inquired, looking at Mai.

"Yes," said Jean Claude heavily. "As it turned out, my steward was incredibly jealous of me and plotted to murder me when I returned to my kingdom so he could assume the throne; when I am unable to tend to my duties he sits on the throne for me and rules in my stead. He had rallied some of the servants and guards to his side and was in the process of amassing sorcerers and the like when I returned."

He gave a humorless laugh. "Imagine the look on Tristan's face—oh, sorry, that is the name of my steward—when I returned. I wasted no time and promptly banished him and the other traitors from the kingdom; as a precaution, I also banished the sorcerers who were rumored to be involved."

"I can understand why," remarked Mai, remembering what Duke had mentioned earlier involving the prince and magic. "But would that not make them angry and wreak vengeance?"

Jean Claude laughed. "I have a lot more influence than they. They would be foolish to tangle with me. Besides, my poor sister was so traumatized by the matter that I couldn't bear to kill them; she is a sickly young thing and she doesn't need the stress to worsen her condition."

At Mai's and Vivian's surprised looks Jean Claude gave an embarrassed laugh. "Oh forgive me. I had nearly forgotten to tell you about my younger sister. She did not greet you, Princess Mai, because she is bed-ridden—she has a weak constitution and lately is so exhausted she cannot rise from her bed."

The page, nearly forgotten by the prince, cleared his throat again. "Your Majesty…"

"Oh yes, yes, I'll be along in a moment," replied Jean Claude irritably. "Forgive me, my dear, but in the wake of such treachery the castle is short-staffed. I must see to whatever this silly man claims needs my attention," he continued, kissing her hand before bowing to her. "I will allow you to wander freely through my castle, but beware the northern tower—it was destroyed in …well, a small accident, and it is undergoing repairs."

Mai curtsied, as did Vivian. "I will see you at tonight's dinner," she replied, smiling politely at the man until he vanished around the corner.

"Oh, Your Highness, he's a dream!" cooed Vivian, watching him go.

"More like a nightmare," she grumbled in response, starting to wander down the corridor. "I was beginning to think he'd never shut up."

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><p>Later on that evening Mai sank into large and comfortable mattress of her bed, her violet eyes traveling from one part of the room to the next and taking in the luxurious surroundings; from the silk banners hanging on the wall to the dark crimson canopy over her bed, then the dark oak furniture and the gorgeous rug on the stone floor, everything screamed prosperity and wealth.<p>

She and Vivian had entertained themselves for the remaining hours of the afternoon by wandering the castle grounds and surveying the gardens that she had seen when she had first arrived; the flowers were all in bloom and it had been impossible to ignore it. Toward sundown, however, they had decided that preparations for that night's banquet were in order and so had returned to the room.

She rose to her feet and wandered to the window to look out at the night; a cursory gaze allowed her to see the courtyard below, where she could see a few lone guards making their rounds. At the sight of the imposing figure standing out on a wall an annoyed huff escaped her. The captain of the guard was recognizable even from here—no one could mistake the burly man, not even if they tried.

Vivian had gone to settle a few last housekeeping matters with the nearest maidservants, leaving Mai to her own devices; when she turned from the window her eyes landed on her trunk, which was sitting at the end of her bed, and scowled at it. Though the man had brought it up here earlier Raphael had not emptied it—he clearly had not liked the idea of being reduced to a palace servant and had made that evident.

There was a knock on the door before Vivian slipped back into the room, her brown eyes also going to the trunk. "He did not empty it for you?"

"Clearly not," Mai said irritably, pulling the key out from the pouch at her side and unlocking the chest. "I'm guessing he decided that I could do it on my own."

"Then again, Your Highness, he's not exactly a palace servant. His responsibilities are a lot different," Vivian pointed out as she bent down to begin pulling out Mai's dresses. She paused, glancing at the material in her hands before groaning. "Forgive me in advance, my lady."

The blonde woman looked confused as Vivian handed her a gown, then mirrored her lady-in-waiting. "You have _got _to be kidding."

The burgundy colored dress in her hands was one that had been made by her mother's tailor as a gift to Mai for her past birthday. Since the queen was such a stickler for tradition the dress had puffed out shoulders, a high-collared bodice that basically asphyxiated her and exposed nothing, and was made from the heaviest material known to man; Mai had packed something else to wear should she have to attend banquets like what Jean Claude was throwing that night, but clearly her trunk had been repacked.

"Thank you, Mother," she muttered sarcastically, glaring at the gown.

Vivian looked apologetic. "I remember that right before we left that a couple servants borrowed your trunk…they must have repacked it. I should have stopped them."

"No, don't worry about it," Mai replied, staring sourly at the gown. "I expected this from her. Let's see what the alternatives are."

The two women went through all the dresses in the trunk—all ones that she knew for a fact she hadn't packed—for another one to wear, but when they could not find one Mai growled and snatched the dress off the bed. "All right, Mother, you win," she snapped, stalking behind the dressing screen. "

"Surely your mother could have found you a better gown to wear, especially if you're trying to impress the prince," Vivian said slyly. She let out a giggle and Mai heard her lady in waiting flop onto the mattress. "Oh, Your Majesty, I fail to see how there's anything wrong with him."

Mai tossed the burgundy colored nightmare on top of the screen before stepping back out to allow the other woman to undo the ties on the back of the dress. "Sure, outside of being as vain as a peacock there's nothing wrong with him," replied Mai, stepping back behind the screen when Vivian was finished. "But he certainly keeps his kingdom in order—"

"Not to mention that he's so handsome and brave. My lady, you _have _to say yes and marry this one!" gushed Vivian with a girlish squeal.

"And prosperous too," Mai added as an afterthought. "By the way, don't be so publically admiring over the prince. Remember your place, Vivian."

There was a scoff. "Says the woman who, at one point, said no to a suitor because he had greasy hair and a hooked nose."

"What, you _wanted_ me to be married to Lord Severus?" came the annoyed retort. "Honey, in addition to being dipped in bear grease his kingdom was tiny and he was a _lord_. I'm a princess—I deserve someone of higher rank."

"And you say Jean Claude is the vain one?"

"Was that an insult?"

"No, just the truth," replied Vivian gaily. A long pause followed, and then she said tentatively, "I do have to admit that there are some things off about him, though. I can't put my finger on it, but something about him…"

Mai paused, frowning. "You're not the only one. The plot involving his servants was credible at best—and understandable—but I'm having a hard time believing that he's done everything he's said he's done, especially the bit about the White Dragon. Then there's the whole 'banishment of all the sorcerers in this kingdom' bit. I don't understand that at all. Why not execute them?"

"He's just merciful, Highness. Besides, he has to make a good impression on the surrounding kingdoms."

"But executing the men who not only plotted against you but in fact also have magical talent would be more of a good impression the other kingdoms—not letting those who plot against you live is a good way to do just that," replied Mai as she began wiggling into the gown (and cursing the tailor every which way—she was petite, yes, but for heaven's sake this was _too_ small a waist!). "Besides, a dead sorcerer cannot take revenge on you later."

"I guess so," remarked her lady in waiting. "But, if you don't mind me asking, how could such a plot to overthrow the prince pass by Captain Gruesome? I bet that even he couldn't have missed that."

At that she paused. There was no mistaking that venomous look that had appeared on Raphael's face when Jean Claude had been speaking to him and it was out of place on a man claimed to be loyal; had such a look been leveled at her father Raphael would have been executed on the spot. Maybe that was why he was so surly…perhaps he had been involved in this plot.

"That I don't understand either. What else have you heard about him?" she asked slowly, glaring at the dress when it remained stuck on her waist. "The captain, I mean," she added in clarification when there was a long pause.

She did not have to see Vivian to know that the other woman had just given a dismissive shrug. "No more than you have, Highness. Outside of being really loyal to the prince I don't know much more about him."

A knock on her door made her look up sharply and she heard Vivian rise from the bed to see who was at the door; this gave Mai the perfect opportunity to let out a distinctly unladylike grunt as she tried to pull the dress over her waist and up the rest of her body. She was having a word with her mother when she came back, make no mistake of it.

At length Mai finally got the dress on (though in the end practicality won out over pride and Vivian had to help her get it on) and, after a few more minutes spent pulling Mai's hair up into a loose but functional up-do and picking out an appropriate necklace, the two ladies were on their way out of the room to make their way to the banquet hall.

"I don't know how big this banquet is," muttered Mai, almost limping along the hall. "But I hope it doesn't last long. This dress is killing me."

"I'll have a word with the royal tailor in the morning," said Vivian comfortingly, picking up the train of the gown to free Mai's feet. "Until then, Your Grace, you'll have to live with it."

"Glorious."

The two women were halfway to the banquet hall when a loud screech shattered the tranquility of the night. They exchanged surprised glances before hurrying to the nearest window. "Was that one of the guests?" asked Vivian uneasily.

"Maybe that would be the case if they were a banshee," retorted Mai as she peered over her lady in waiting's head. "But I doubt Jean Claude would invite one to his party."

Outside the night had burst into activity, guards bustling along like ants as they hurried to their posts; she could hear Raphael giving out short, barking orders as he also moved to his post, and she even caught a glimpse of the unpleasant Alister as he and other archers took up positions on the battlements.

"What on earth is going on?" asked Mai when she heard another roar shatter the night. Noticing that the guards were looking up, she leaned further out the window and looked into the dark sky above.

"I don't know, Highness, but I don't like it," replied Vivian, tugging on her arm gently but firmly. "Come, we'd best get back to our quarters before—"

And then with one final roar the creature swept down into the courtyard, its obsidian scales reflecting in the torchlight. Wind generated from its flapping wings began sweeping dust and all sorts of objects into every direction; men who had not grabbed onto something or had been on their way to their posts were also swept away, slamming into the castle walls.

Mai stared at the dragon in shock before saying faintly, "I owe my cousin an apology."


	4. Banquets and Counterstrikes

_An early update, you ask? _

_Well, I'm not sure how Friday's looking. I may be briefly going out of town and won't have access to a computer, so I'm going to go ahead and post it now in case I do (it's iffy at this point because I'm sick :p). If I do stay home Friday, though, there might be an additional chapter posted—my brother's coming home for Thanksgiving break and it'll also be my dad's birthday._

_ANYWAYS. There's another Easter Egg in this chapter (again, think people), but this time I made it harder to spot. Let's see if you can find it :D_

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><p>The dragon let out a roar and swept its tail in an arc around its body, clearing the area around it of obstacles and of the few remaining guards in its immediate vicinity. From somewhere on the battlement it Mai heard Alister's voice call out and suddenly the air was thick with arrows that flew through the air with an angry buzz, but the wooden arrows merely bounced off the dragon's midnight colored scales.<p>

Vivian had clearly seen enough, bodily hauling Mai back inside (she'd been leaning almost entirely out the window) and hustling her down the hall. "Let the guards deal with this," she said firmly, gripping her by the elbow and towing her along with surprising strength. "Dealings with the dragon do not concern you."

"They do if it comes after me!" retorted Mai as they reached their room. The moment she was inside the blonde woman strode to the nearest window to look out at the courtyard, where the dragon was still wreaking havoc below; one of its taloned hands swept against a wall and caused the area to crumble entirely beneath its hand.

"The guards can handle it, though. They're trained to deal with crises like this," said Vivian, dragging Mai away from the window and toward the back of the room. "And as your bodyguard I cannot let you be placed in danger."

"That thing's busy with them, it won't come after me!"

Vivian looked as if she was about to slap the princess. "And all the stories about dragons carting off princesses as snacks or as bounty are merely children's tales?" she nearly snarled, watching the shadows dancing outside the window tensely. "Your Highness, it's my duty to make sure you don't end up as dinner for the beast—I think it a high lapse in judgment if I did not make certain of that much!"

Mai glared mutinously back at her lady in waiting, but an animalistic shriek of pain from the dragon outside caused both of them to forget their caution and bolt to the window, identical looks of surprise marring their features. Mai made it first and leaned as far out the window as she could manage without falling out; Vivian leaned over her head, keeping an iron grip on her arm and ready to drag her back should the need arise.

Jean Claude had come out into the courtyard, his sword drawn; even from this distance Mai could see that the blade shone with an unnatural light— suddenly, she was less doubtful about the prince's story involving the scales of the legendary White Dragon.

The dragon was keening in pain as it shook its head and she noticed the bleeding gash across its snout, but this was clearly only a momentary deterrent to the beast and it lunged forward again, crimson eyes flashing furiously as it let out a defiant snarl.

"Be gone, foul creature!" shouted Jean Claude, slashing at the dragon as it neared him. He dodged its snapping teeth long enough to deliver a blow, this time closer to the dragon's throat.

By this time, however, Mai heard Raphael call out, "Archers, aim at its wings!" and a volley of arrows flew through the air; she caught a glimpse of the captain ushering the prince out of the way. As one of the wooden shafts pierced the wing the dragon screeched in pain, and Mai understood Raphael's order—the membrane of its wings were not scaled, but leathery and thin…it was the weakest place on its body. If they shot it full of holes, the dragon would not be able to escape.

The dragon roared a final time before its gargantuan wings spread and it crouched low to the ground, gathering itself before launching through the air with speed Mai didn't think possible for a creature of its size. As it passed her tower (located on the eastern side of the castle) its head turned and it actually paused, flapping its wings as it hovered directly in front of her, and it wasn't until she looked at its eyes that she realized that the dragon was looking at her.

Its ruby eyes bored into hers and she could see the many different emotions in them—pain, desperation, surprise, but above all else there was anger. It took her a moment to register it, but then she realized that—for whatever reason—it was angry at _her_. She recoiled from the window, suddenly frightened.

The dragon finally passed her before circling around behind another tower, nearly fading into the night as it flew out of view; the archers had started shooting at it while it had been hovering outside her window and the catapults had actually started to come out, so the beast could not stay for much longer. Although Mai lost sight of it she knew Vivian had not and was following it with her eyes, and a few moments passed before the black haired woman relaxed.

"It's all right now, Your Majesty," she said, leaning against the wall. "It flew off behind the clouds yonder. I don't think it'll return this night, especially after the prince wounded it the way he did."

Mai crossed over to her mattress shakily, sitting on it and staring at her trembling hands. "That was…" she began, but the words died in her throat at the memory of the dragon's gaze. "I…"

"Are you all right, Your Highness?"

Vivian's concerned face moved into view, worry creasing her brow. When she did not get an immediate reply and she registered how pale the princess was, the other woman said a sharp, "_Mai._"

"I'm all right," she said at last, jolted out of her thoughts. "Just shaken. You…did you see the way the dragon looked at me?"

"I did," replied Vivian, looking uneasy. "Such a look—it's unnatural on a dragon. I've heard stories claiming they're intelligent and all, but that expression…that was almost _human_."

Mai said nothing, still shaken, but she knew one thing—it was coming back.

The look in its eyes had _promised_ her that much.

* * *

><p>When the two women finally came down the stairs to join the banquet (still being held, even after all the earlier commotion; Vivian had been against the idea of going after everything was said and done, but Mai felt that she needed a distraction from the dragon's earlier attack), it was to find Jean Claude arguing quietly but vehemently with Raphael; the taller man looked thoroughly annoyed, while the prince had a blustering and angry expression. They hung back, listening to the argument silently.<p>

"Why did you drag me away from the fight? I could have slain the beast had you not pulled me away!" Jean Claude asked hotly.

"Forgive me for doing my duty and making sure that you did not get inadvertently hit by one of your archers," retorted Raphael coolly. "Next time I will stay back, if that is your wish."

"On that note, why order such a foolhardy thing? I was in the line of fire, you imbecile, and I could have been killed!" the prince snapped, visibly frustrated.

"I seriously doubt you would have been harmed, Your Highness," said Alister coldly, and the women jumped—they had not noticed him standing near the window, nearly hidden from view by the curtain, but now they did and he looked just as annoyed as his captain. "My archers are incredibly accurate. With such a large target it would be hard for even the worst archer to miss."

"Watch your tongue, Alister," warned Jean Claude, whirling on the other man. "You forget your place."

The red-haired man scoffed. "I was not aware that the truth could be construed as forgetting my place. You'll have to forgive my lapse in judgment—truly only an imbecile would confuse my statement for being anything but honest."

Jean Claude's face clouded, while Mai and Vivian had to stop themselves from laughing.

A briefly amused smile flickered across Raphael's face before vanishing when Jean Claude directed his furious glare at him. "Alister, go and see how badly wounded the guards hit by the dragon are. I'll be along shortly," he ordered, shooting a warning look when Alister did not immediately move.

The red-haired man bowed to Jean Claude with a slightly mocking smile before moving past them; as he opened the doors his gray eyes went to the two women on the stair and he rolled his eyes, striding out of sight without another backward glance.

Jean Claude returned his attention to the captain of the guard and leaned in, murmuring something that only he could hear; Mai strained to hear it, and though she could not make out what it was Raphael clearly understood whatever the shorter man was saying—his face darkened, his jaw tightened, and something in his eyes flashed before he bowed. "Forgive me for my mistake," he said quietly before he too made for the doors. He paused momentarily before saying, "Your Majesty, the princess is on the stair."

Jean Claude started, turning and immediately beaming at them. "Well _hello_, my dear. I'm dreadfully sorry if the dragon scared you," he said cordially, not watching Raphael leave. "I had not wanted to say it earlier, but the dragon had been keeping its activities confined to places out of sight of the castle so I saw no need to mention it. I had the dragon at my mercy, but my captain was too presumptuous and ruined what would have been a marvelous feat."

He paused, his eyes sweeping over Mai approvingly. "You look absolutely wonderful, Princess Mai," he said, kissing her hand.

Mai's eyebrow arched at the sudden change in behavior, deciding not to point out that in her (admittedly grudging) opinion that Raphael had done the right thing from her perspective—and in fact she _hated_ the dress. Instead, she chose to say, "Thank you for the compliment. It would have been a marvelous feat indeed to fell a dragon single-handedly, though I daresay that a little help would not have been amiss either."

Jean Claude's smile seemed suddenly a bit forced. "But dear princess, I have taken down much larger obstacles than a dragon…a griffin plaguing a village on the outskirts of my kingdom, for example," he continued, brightening as he took Mai's arm and led her into the hall. He almost immediately launched into the story, but Mai's focus was not on his words (though, a glance to her left revealed, Vivian's was).

Jean Claude had been worried about being overthrown by his men. Judging by what she had seen thus far Mai had no trouble understanding why—the way he treated them, testing their patience and the extent of their loyalty, was definitely grating. Not to mention that he had not told her right away about the dragon…

But then what prince would reveal his problems, especially to a princess he was wooing? Heck, a prince that had courted her once a long time ago had not told her that his kingdom was being plagued by a giant until she had arrived and had seen it in person. It was not _that _uncommon for Jean Claude to hide the dragon from her. And as for his men, he also had the right to lay into them after they had plotted to overthrow them.

She was overanalyzing things, she decided as she entered the banquet hall. Mai was used to being hypercritical—as her mother had pointed out on more than one separate occasion—and might simply be reading things that were not there. She'd give it some more time in the prince's company before she judged him.

"Oh by the way, my dear, I invited a few nobles to attend the banquet," he said, bringing her thoughts back to the present. "I had wanted them to see my kingdom, since I've been out of sight for so long and few ha ever seen the inside of this castle."

Mai's gaze swept over the crowd and she actually stopped at the throng of people in the room—the hall was practically filled with nobles, all dressed in royal and richly colored clothing. She looked over at Vivian and mouthed _a few?_

Her lady in waiting shrugged with a small smile, falling into step behind her as Jean Claude escorted her further into the large and open room. The hall was tall and lined with two long, narrow tables; the furnishings of this room matched the palace, in that they were of obvious value. The tables were brimming with delicious looking food and her stomach suddenly rumbled—she had not eaten since she had arrived and only now was realizing that.

Several people eyed her with some trepidation as she passed them and a few openly glaring at her, but Mai chose to look forward—those people were either suitors she'd rejected or related to them. She hardly cared what they thought of her.

"I apologize for the delay in the proceedings," called Jean Claude over the crowd, silencing the bustle in the hall. "It seems that the dragon wanted to be a part of the proceedings—but I had to send him on his way, since he did not have an invitation," he added, and a few women nearby tittered. Mai stopped herself from rolling her eyes. "Now, let's eat. My chefs have cooked a fine meal for us this evening and it should still be warm. If not, I suppose we could invite the dragon back."

A few more laughs filtered into her hearing and she could not help but be amused. When he wanted to be Jean Claude was charismatic—provided he was not bragging about whatever feat he'd done or about the various items he'd won on his quests.

Which, given the fact he was now boasting about how he had fended off the dragon, was a rare occurrence. It was going to be a _long _night.

* * *

><p>"This was certainly an eventful evening," remarked Jean Claude as he escorted Mai down the hallway. Vivian was not present, as Mai had asked her only a few minutes before to get a bath drawn for her in the bathing chambers; she'd wished she'd had more time to get cleaned up before going to the banquet and looked forward to this small comfort.<p>

The dinner had lasted longer than Mai thought it would, mostly because Jean Claude had insisted on taking her around to introduce her to the different nobles; some of them Mai had met before, while others she had never seen (one particular lord's wife looked almost like her, though she was more gentle in nature and her eyes were blue). It was not until midnight that the guests had started to leave, and even then a few guests had still been milling about when she and Jean Claude had left the banquet hall.

"It was," she said then, stifling a yawn. "A bit too eventful, for my tastes."

"I understand that asking you to attend the banquet on such short notice may not have been the wisest decision on my part," he continued, catching Mai's attention and startling her—he must have read her mind. "I merely wished to impress you, my dear. It is easy for me to forget that a beautiful woman might wish to get herself settled before attending my dinner."

Warmed by this admission, she said, "It actually was not too much trouble. I actually had fun at the banquet—though this dress is making me uncomfortable," she said with a sigh, scowling at it.

He stopped walking, taking her hands in his and looking at her with a smile. "My dear, it does not matter what you wear. To me, you are still quite beautiful."

Mai suddenly noticed that Jean Claude was quite close to her but managed to keep the flush off her face. "Thank you," she said, adroitly stepping past him to put space between them. She suddenly wished she had not sent Vivian further ahead—the lady in waiting was fairly good at making sure that princes kept their distance.

She blinked when Jean Claude's grip tightened on her hand and she turned as he caught up to her. "My dear princess, I know that you have only been here a matter of hours, but I have a question for you."

Mai kept her face clear. "Which is?"

"Would you do me the honors of being my bride?"

Mai stared in complete disbelief. She had only been at this castle for a matter of hours and already she had gotten a proposal from him? Sure, she had gotten marriage proposals before, but never so soon; most of the other suitors waited until at least Mai had settled in before proposing. Coupled with the day she'd had, this was not a welcome inquiry.

"Jean Claude, is it not too early for a question of that magnitude?" she asked, a tad severe. "I would think that you would give me more time to settle down and get to know you before asking such a thing."

Something flickered across Jean Claude's face before he bowed to her (much to her surprise). "You are correct, my dear. I apologize for my hastiness—your beauty overwhelmed me and it was folly to ask so soon. Do keep my offer in mind, though," he said, leaning in far too close for her comfort—it was clear what he wanted to do.

Mai deliberately stomped on his foot, causing him to stumble backward with a startled yelp of pain. "Oh no, I'm so sorry!" she said apologetically, inwardly smirking. "I am such a clumsy person when I'm in confined quarters!"

"It is all right, my dear," laughed Jean Claude, completely missing the fact that her words had been coated in generous sarcasm. "You were, no doubt, hastening to kiss me."

_You wish, you stuck-up son of a— "_I actually lost my balance and accidentally stomped on your toe. I sincerely apologize for that," she said, injecting a mournful tone to her words. As an afterthought she rounded her eyes and looked up at him from beneath her lashes. "Do you forgive me?

"Of course, dear princess," Jean Claude responded jovially, clasping her hands. "After all, it was only an—"

The wall beside them suddenly exploded, throwing stone and furniture into the air.

The two of them were separated by the blast, Jean Claude hitting the opposite wall and Mai tumbling to the right of the explosion; bits of stone fell on her and one large part of the wall nearly crushed her arm before she yanked it away, even as disoriented as she was. Her hair slightly loosened out of the up-do and she was certain rubble was in it, but her attention was better spent on what had caused the wall to cave in the way it had.

Her violet eyes narrowed as she squinted through the dust cloud, but she needn't have bothered trying to see what had caused the explosion—a familiar snarl filtered into the hall from outside and she felt her blood run cold.

The dragon had returned.


	5. Captured

_Looks like I'm not going out of town, haha! That means - you guessed it - another chapter!_

_No easter eggs in this chapter, but I hope you all like it. Leave feedback if you can - I'm wondering how I'm doing with something so blatantly AU, roffle._

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><p>Mai scrambled backward, trying to avoid the dragon's gaze. She was grateful that the dragon had broken the wall, as the resulting dust cloud was obscuring its view of her. How on earth had it figured out where they were in the castle? She strongly suspected that it had never truly left and had merely bided its time, waiting until the castle was less on guard before returning, but that didn't mean that it knew exactly where they were.<p>

The massive head of the turned in her direction with unnerving accuracy as its eyes locked on her; Mai could see the still bleeding gash across its face from where Jean Claude had attacked it earlier, as well as the gash on its throat. She pressed herself further against the wall, hoping against hope that maybe the dragon couldn't see—

It snarled.

"My luck is just that bad," she groaned, and then she scrambled to her feet to flee down the passageway as the dragon tried to snap at her with its teeth. She tripped and fell down onto the red carpet, coughing as dust from the wall rose from the impact; the dragon took this chance to try and grab her, but Mai merely twisted around and kicked it as hard as she could in its eye. "I am _not _going to be your late night snack!" she yelled, regaining her feet and sprinting away from the beast.

It let out a roar of surprised pain, its head retracting from the hole, but Mai did not pause to see if it was still behind her—all she was concerned with at the moment was getting away before it grabbed her.

She heard commotion from the guards outside and caught glimpses of them as they scurried to their posts through the windows she passed, but Mai did not stop running until she reached her quarters. She pulled open the door and sprinted into the room, slamming it shut behind her and sinking against the door as she took in a few ragged breaths.

Vivian was in the room, leaning out the window to try and figure out what was going on, but when she saw Mai's panicked face she crossed the room. "Your Majesty, what's going on? I heard an explosion…is it—?"

"The dragon? Oh yeah, he's back," Mai gasped out in reply. "With a vengeance."

She had no time to further elaborate, as a shadow outside their window suddenly made both women look to it. In the next second the wall was torn away and the dragon's head came into the room. Mai yelped and moved as far back as she could—no doubt it was mad at her for kicking it in the eye earlier, but come on! Like she was going to let it grab her and eat her without a fight!

Vivian's hands blurred silver and three small knives embedded themselves in the wound on the dragon's neck. "I don't think so," she said coldly, and then she had sprung forward to deliver a kick that drove one of her knives deeper into the wound. Her kick was hampered by the dress she was wearing, but it served its purpose.

The creature roared, its head slamming up into the ceiling in pain; the lumber supports above them cracked and groaned before a large portion of the roof came away. Mai grabbed the other woman's hand and yanked her away from the rubble before it would have fallen on her, but in doing so she placed herself in the dragon's immediate vicinity—and the beast acted on the chance it had been given. It snagged the back of her dress with its teeth and dragged her out as easily as if she were a feather.

"Princess!" cried Vivian helplessly, throwing another knife desperately at the beast in an attempt to get it to release her. The knife bounced harmlessly off of its snout. "_No!"_

The dragon kept its grip on Mai as it backed out, and although she initially struggled she froze when she heard the sound of ripping fabric—from this height, a fall would kill her.

Seconds later it let out a muffled growl of pain; Mai did not understand why until she saw the arrows flying past them and realized that the archers were shooting at its wings once again. She shrieked when one of them barely missed hitting her and the dragon dropped her unceremoniously into its hand, using its tail as a whip and sweeping the battlement around them clear of the archers while keeping a tight grip on her. She heard the loud _crack_ of the lumber and the startled yells from the men.

The beast, having gotten what it wanted, crouched down low on its three remaining paws before springing into the air, as it had the first time when it had come; Mai, who had started to fruitlessly push against the fingers curled around her waist to try and free herself, screamed as the two of them ascended rapidly, but the sound was drowned out by the dragon beating its massive wings.

She heard it before she saw the large boulder coming at them and instinctively flinched, but to her surprise the dragon covered her with its other hand, obscuring her view of the projectile; she felt the impact along its body and then the hand lifted off the top of her. The dragon had shielded her.

They were flying past the front gates, slowly gathering momentum as it escaped, but it was not flying nearly as fast as it had before. She could understand why the dragon's progress was hindered—this time the catapults were out and launching boulders. Raphael must have decided to leave them out in case it had returned—a smart move on his part, but did he have to launch them when she was up here? Had no one figured out she was a captive yet?

Mai screamed again when another boulder hurtled toward them; this time the dragon angled its body so it was a shield between her and the rock before whacking it with its tail, driving it into the wall.

"_Would you people quit shooting at me?_" Mai snarled to the men below, anger replacing her fear.

She caught sight of a familiar figure on the battlement nearest them and it was clear that the man heard her desperate question—she could see the startled (and almost exasperated) light in his eyes before she heard Raphael's voice boom out a cease-fire as the dragon flew over him.

They had been passing by the north tower when the dragon abruptly let out a screech of pain that shattered her eardrums and made her wince in pain. "And what's your problem?" she couldn't help but ask sarcastically. The dragon ignored her, looking around its body with its teeth bared, and Mai followed its gaze.

Jean Claude must have scaled up the steps of the tower to climb onto a rooftop before leaping onto the dragon's back, because when she turned around it was to see that he was hacking away and stabbing it at random with his sword—she could see the blue light emanating from the blade when she peered over the top of the dragon's hand. "Do not worry, my love!" he called gallantly when he saw her. "I will save you!"

The dragon, however, was having nothing of it. Its neck twisted around as it flapped its wings to hover in place, and Mai saw the building red and black light in its jaws; she heard the lightning crackling in its mouth and smelled the sudden and sharp scent of ozone. Jean Claude's back was to it—the moron had no idea what was coming. "Watch out!"

Her warning came too late. The dragon released the ball of lightning from its jaws and she saw Jean Claude throw up his shield just as it reached him—the blast was deflected, but it was enough to knock the prince off the dragon's back and he fell past her and out of view.

Alarmed, she craned her neck over its hand to see what became of him; she did not entirely like him but that did not mean she wanted to see him dead, either. To her relief, though, it had not been that far of a drop and Jean Claude landed safely in the moat, resurfacing seconds later. He was clearly cursing, his voice carrying up to them even at the distance they were.

The dragon snorted in satisfaction before it flapped its wings, picking up speed as it hurtled toward the safety of the clouds above; Mai realized that it had been using the cloud bank as cover when it had initially fled, preventing anyone from seeing it come or go. The castle beneath them got smaller and smaller by the second, until finally she could only see tiny pinpricks of firelight that looked more like fireflies.

They entered the first of the almost black clouds above them and Mai lost sight of everything.

* * *

><p>Vivian hurtled down the tower steps, her feet blurring as she practically flew down the staircase and out into the hallway. Her brown eyes only gave a cursory glance to the rubble in the hallway before she nimbly made her way through it, her footsteps light as air.<p>

She made it out into the courtyard and surveyed the scene, her eyes moving from one place to the next. This time the dragon had managed to set the stable on fire and men were hastily scrambling to get the panicked horses outside and to put out the fire; other guards were moving through the area and assisting the wounded, bustling past her and nearly running into her at times.

She hardly cared and easily began weaving through the soldiers, searching for any sign of either Mai or the prince; she inwardly berated herself for failing in her duty to protect the princess from the dragon as she searched frantically, praying that the dragon had set Mai down somewhere or Jean Claude had saved her.

She caught a glimpse of red hair and paused, remembering the archer from earlier. "Alister!" she called sharply after a moment's pause, making her way over to him. Maybe he'd seen what had become of the princess.

The other man halted in his tracks, limping over to her. His hair was askew and had bits of stone and dust evenly coating it; his clothes were torn and bloodied in a few places and she could see he was holding his broken bow in one of his hands. "What do you want?" he asked, not bothering to be polite. "In case you haven't noticed, half my archers are buried under the scaffolding that the dragon knocked over."

"I don't care," retorted Vivian. "The princess—did you see what happened to her?"

Alister frowned. "I'm not the princess's babysitter. How should I know what happened to her?" he replied shortly. "I have to see to the trapped men, if you don't mind."

Vivian's temper flared. "Then tell me who I should talk to about the princess, archer!" she snarled, moving in his way. "You may have your duties, but I have mine—and they revolve around a princess who just got carted off by a dragon terrorizing _your _kingdom!"

The man's gray eyes narrowed. "The prince or the captain should know the answers you're looking for. They're at the front of the courtyard, by the gates," he said at last, limping into the crowd. "Now, if you'll excuse me, men are dying."

Vivian debated on burying one of her poisoned daggers in his back but decided that her efforts were better spent on finding out more about the princess. Maybe, just maybe, Jean Claude had rescued her and she'd see them momentarily.

Her hopes were dashed when she saw Jean Claude, soaking wet and spluttering, coming in from the castle gates, the captain right behind him. Mai was nowhere in sight and Vivian's heart plummeted.

"The wretched beast…I want every man, woman, and child in the kingdom on the lookout for it!" Jean Claude spluttered. "And you!" he continued, whirling on the captain of the guard (who was currently trying to pull a large part of the wall off of a man's entrapped leg). "You could have felled the beast before it carried off my bride!"

Raphael clearly did not care about the prince's statement, glaring right back at the prince openly before returning his attention to what he was doing. "I'll get you out. Hold still," he assured the man, keeping his back turned to the prince.

"Raphael, explain yourself!" ordered Jean Claude angrily. "Why did you stop firing at the dragon?"

The blond man grunted as he successfully freed the trapped man, finally turning to face the prince. "As you pointed out, _your Highness_, your 'bride' was in the dragon's grip. Would you have preferred me to continue firing the catapults at it and risk hitting the princess?" he asked, his voice almost trembling from anger. "Besides, did you not tell me earlier that you could have felled the beast without my help?"

"Watch your tone, Raphael, you aren't in any place to—!"

"Oh would you _both_ knock it off!" snapped Vivian, storming to them and startling the two men. "Forget your petty argument and tell me what's become of the princess! Is she safe?"

Jean Claude, startled by Vivian's outburst, assumed a saddened expression as he gazed at her. "I gave it my most valiant effort, my dear," he said gently. "But even I, having done so much and having defeated so many enemies, could not rescue your mistress."

Vivian felt cold and numb all at once, the fire that had made her yell at a prince leaving her as quickly as it had come and she felt the color drain from her face. Her knees went weak and she felt like buckling; Raphael, having caught sight of that, moved to catch her firmly by her arm and hold her up. Vivian barely noticed when he steered her to a nearby cart to sit her down.

The dragon had successfully carried the princess off, likely taking her to its lair—and Heaven alone knew what her fate would be once they arrived.

Vivian buried her face in her hands miserably and started to weep.

* * *

><p>Mai glared up at her captor as the dragon finally descended from the clouds, getting low enough to brush the trees of the forest below. Sure, the stupid thing had needed to get out of sight of the castle's catapults—but did it understand how <em>cold<em> it was up there? And clouds weren't exactly fluffy cotton balls of warmth; they were cold and wet, which now meant Mai's dress was completely soaked through and she was _freezing._

She pounded on its hand—a fat lot of good that did, as it seemed the dumb beast was not able to feel anything because of how thick its scales were. Nonetheless, the dragon gave her a cursory glance before looking away.

Annoyed, she punched its clenched fist again. Her initial fear had been replaced by her trademark temper and frankly, given her circumstances, she no longer bothered trying to be polite—who around her was going to see that she was behaving unlike a princess?

"Don't ignore me, you overgrown salamander!" snapped Mai, shivering as a cold breeze passed by. "Put me down before I make you!"

This earned her an almost amused sounding snort from the beast, but it ignored her otherwise.

Mai glared some more before noticing how close the trees were to her; the dragon was skimming the tops of the trees of the neighboring forest, the tips of them so close Mai could reach out and touch them. This gave her an idea, in fact, and she waited until she saw a nearby pine tree before reaching out and snagging a branch.

The bristles on the branch stung at her hands and she nearly let go (the dragon, though not flying nearly as fast as it had before, still had enough momentum to make her task difficult), but she stubbornly held on and with a sharp _snap_ the branch came away in her hands. She smirked before glancing up at her captor to see if it had noticed what she'd done. When nothing happened, her smirk became triumphant and she raised her makeshift weapon—

And then the dragon took to the sky suddenly with a speed that caught Mai off guard, flying high above the forest before releasing her in mid air.

Mai shrieked as she began to freefall, her eyes stinging from the cold air rushing into them and her hair flying all around her. She saw the dark outlines of the forest trees rushing to meet her, coming closer and closer, and she closed her eyes to wait for the inevitable end—

Something stopped her in midfall and she opened her eyes, nearly hyperventilating and shaking violently as she looked up at the dragon. It had waited until almost the last second before catching her, but the look in its eyes was clearly a warning one.

"Y-You did that on purpose!" she snapped, outrage replacing her fear. "Do you get some kind of sick pleasure doing that to a poor girl?"

The dragon snarled right back, glaring at her—or, rather, at her makeshift weapon. It was quite clear what had prompted it to do what it had.

Mai understood what that meant and was having nothing of it. If anything, it annoyed her even further. "What, not used to your food fighting back?" she asked, her temper getting the better of her. "Look, genius, I don't know where you're from, but let me tell you—"

The dragon once again took off higher into the sky and Mai immediately dropped the branch. "Okay, okay!" she said hastily, showing it her now empty hands. "No weapon, see? Just don't drop me again, _please_."

The dragon huffed, studying her intently before once more coming down nearly on top of the forest below—albeit they were high enough above the trees to prevent her from grabbing any more branches.

"Spectacular," grumbled Mai, using the dragon's hand as an arm rest and putting her chin in her hand. "I really hate you."

She would have thought that the dragon was thinking something similar, but there was an oddly amused light in its eyes when it looked down at her again. She shivered miserably as yet another gust of air blew past them and she huddled down as much as she could—the cold night air, coupled with her wet clothes, made for an uncomfortable position for her to be in.

The dragon, who had still been looking at her, must have understood that its prisoner was nearly frozen. It hovered in the air, its great wings beating slowly as it gently dropped her into the palm of its other hand, closing over her with its claws to encase her in its fist; although everything went completely dark the wind was cut off entirely and Mai was already warming up.

Her bare hand brushed against the scales of its palms and she was surprised to not that these were not nearly as smooth as the scales on the outside of its hands, instead smaller and much more of a rough texture to them. But they were warmer than the outside and Mai, deciding that she could do nothing else for the moment, made herself comfortable; since its hands were nearly on top of her she had no choice but to lie down. She started when she could feel the dragon's pulse beneath her and nearly sat up, but the sound was remarkably soothing to her frayed nerves.

She had not wanted to go to sleep, given everything that had happened and her current location, but frankly she was exhausted from her journey to the kingdom and the warmth generated from the dragon's hands filled the space she was in, blanketing her. Within an hour she was fast asleep, comfortably situated in the dragon's claws.


	6. My Name is Jou

_Since tomorrow I'll be spending the entire day with my brother I decided I would upload this early - this way, you guys can have the next update while letting your food digest after your Thanksgiving dinners. _

_Chapters from this point are going to start getting longer, mostly because my bunnies have been looking forward to this part of the story and they really wanted to start from here initially; I may go back and flesh out the other chapters once I start writing the next chapters._

_Thanks, by the way, to everyone who's following this so far and reviewing. I've never attempted a project like this, so your support is GREATLY appreciated and I hope I continue to get it :D_

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><p>Mai was so warm at first that she did not want to wake up. The mattress in the room that Jean Claude had offered her had to be as hard as a rock, but the comforter was truly doing its job and she snuggled under it.<p>

She was so warm, in fact, that she frowned in her sleep and shifted uncomfortably. Vivian must have left a window open and there must be a thunderstorm on its way—that had to be the reason behind the muggy and steamy atmosphere, not to mention the reason for that God-awful smell. She rolled over and mumbled, "Vivian, shut the window 'fore my hair's ruined f'r the day."

When nothing happened Mai's eyes opened and she sat up, rubbing at her eyes sleepily as she said grumpily, "Viv, if I have to kick you out of your bed again I'll…I'll…"

The words died in her throat when she began taking note of her surroundings—which was most assuredly _not_ those of Jean Claude's guest room.

She appeared to be in a cave of sorts, she mused as she looked around her. She could hear the water dripping off the rocks and see the vague outlines of various stalactites and stalagmites around her; the room was dimly lit by eerie red-yellow lines etched into the wall. As she rose to her feet something slipped off her body and she blinked, watching as the crudely made deerskin blanket crumpled into a pile at her feet.

Mai took a few cautious steps toward the wall, peering closely at the lines and nearly touching one before recoiling from the heat rising from them and pulling her hand back—she did not know entirely what this was, but one of her father's scribes had once told her of mountains that held rivers of fire inside them. Judging by all appearances, this appeared to be one of those mountains. Unnerved, she backed away.

She heard bubbling off to her left and a glance revealed several bubbling pools of water, the light on their surfaces dancing as the water shifted. She took a step toward that as well but paused when her bare feet brushed against a fallen rock, the loud clatter causing her to jump and look down. But as she did she noticed that she was wearing the tattered remains of the hated burgundy dress her mother had made for her; the skirt had nearly been torn away and hung in strips, enough left on top to preserve some decency. The hated high-collar was also gone and the sleeves had vanished as well.

She stared in some confusion before the memories began resurfacing: her cousin escorting her to Jean Claude's kingdom, her arrival, Jean Claude, the guards, Vivian, the banquet…

…_the dragon. _

Suddenly alarmed, Mai began looking around for her captor. She had no idea why the beast had spared her, unless it intended to eat her while she was awake and screaming. Blocking this unpleasant image from her mind, she let her eyes adjust to the dim light and began searching the darkness around her. It did not help her that the dragon's obsidian colored scales blended in perfectly with her surroundings. She did not doubt that it was there with her; in her earlier confusion she had missed it, but now that she was focusing she could hear the deep and even breathing echoing through the space as the dragon slept.

At last, Mai's eyes found a part of the wall that did not seem to match up with its surroundings and after squinting at it she drew in a shaky breath. That was a part of the dragon's outline—she could see the silhouette of its massive head and a part of its tail that was curled around it.

She studied it for a moment before deciding that the beast was practically dead to the world and began making her way tentatively across the sharp rock beneath her feet; she had no idea what kind of rock this was, but the sharp edges cut into her bare feet and she had to bite her lip on more than one occasion to keep herself quiet. Mai made her way closer to the dragon, knowing that if it had chosen to sleep there it meant that the exit to her prison must be nearby…though she was decidedly careful as she got closer to the dragon.

Her suspicions were proven correct as she inched closer to the slumbering animal—just beyond the upper edge of its back she could see daylight. She held her breath as the dragon's body shifted, waiting patiently against the back of the wall to see if it was going to wake up.

The beast let out a soft rumbling growl, its head shifting uncomfortably in the small space before it quieted, returning to sleep. Mai let out a relieved (but almost silent) sigh of relief before studying the dragon's body. When it had adjusted it had allowed a small crevice to form between it and the outside entrance to the cave. If Mai could squeeze through it, she could find a way back to the kingdom and make her way there from this place.

The trick was escaping without waking the dragon.

She slowly inched her way forward, holding her breath in spite of herself. The space was narrow, almost too much so, and she worried that she might not fit through the opening—then again, she really didn't want to be here when the dragon woke up and decided it was hungry enough to eat her.

The sharp rock behind her bit into her back as she started slowly but surely scooting through the space, keeping herself pressed against it and biting the inside of her cheek to stop herself from crying out in pain. Mai let out one small whimper when a particularly sharp stone bit into the small of her back but kept herself moving slowly but surely, trying not to brush against the dragon's side.

She could smell the fresh air and inched closer to the entrance. She was nearly there…almost…

The dragon shifted again and Mai took a gamble, nearly sprinting for the mouth of the cave just as the dragon's body closed over it entirely. She watched and waited to see if it would notice she was gone, but when nothing happened she grinned and pumped a fist in the air. "Oh yes, I am _that_ good," she murmured, turning on her heel and taking a few steps forward. "That'll teach you to sleep on the job, Sir Dragon. See if I'll be your typical damsel in distress, you—"

She did not finish, instead stopping at the edge of the cliff and staring down the sheer drop with something akin to horror.

No wonder the dragon was so comfortable with sleeping, instead of guarding her—there was no way on earth that a normal human could make its way down the mountainside.

She heard a rumble from somewhere behind her and turned, spotting the dragon's body shifting and uncoiling. There was no telling how long the dragon would remain asleep, so it was either stay there and get eaten or risk climbing down a sheer rock face to save herself.

"Lesser of two evils," she said decisively, and then hesitantly began moving her way down the slope.

The earth on the mountain was just as sharp and hard as that which was in the cave, the soil black beneath her feet; she had to be doubly careful, as she spotted more of the red-yellow substance that had been in the cave and remembered how hot it was. She could see that her feet and hands were horribly cut up by now and that she was bleeding, but she only spared those wounds a glance. Right now, she had to get away before—

She slipped, the world spun, and Mai screamed.

At the very last second before she would have fallen off the cliff her hands managed to grab a small outcrop of rock and her grip tightened on it desperately, struggling to pull herself up. Her arms trembled from the effort and she found that she was not quite strong enough to get herself back onto a ledge for safety.

And then something caught the back of her dress, lifting her into the air.

She never would have thought she would have been so relieved to see the dragon in all her life.

Mai felt the hot breath on the back of her neck and looked up, her violet eyes meeting with annoyed crimson ones. The dragon had figured out she was gone and had come looking for her—not that it had to do much detective work to figure out where she was. It huffed before turning around and easily making its way back up the slope and back into the cave.

She said nothing as the dragon deposited her none too gently on the cave floor, nor did she react when it nudged her with its snout roughly after she flopped onto the floor limply. "Go away," she said at last when the dragon continued to nudge her. She stretched out, burying her head in her arms miserably. So much for escaping—she might as well say her final prayers, since she was going to be eaten any minute now.

There was a pause before it nudged her again, but this time it was gentle and a distressed rumble came from its throat; Mai lifted her head and stared at the dragon as it looked back at her with visible concern, letting out a soft whine moments later. She could almost hear it asking her if she was all right.

This more than anything was what prompted her to sit up and slap it.

Surprised, the beast let out an affronted snarl and glared at her, all traces of concern wiped from its features. Mai glared right back at it, scrambling to her feet and planting her hands on her hips. Her cut hand stung from where she had slapped it but she paid it no mind. "Well what do you expect? Look, if you're going to eat me then do it, but don't show me any pity before making me your breakfast because toying with your food is just cruel!" she snapped furiously, holding back tears.

The dragon looked offended and huffed, its tail lashing and brushing against the stony wall of the cave with a thump. It bared its fangs indignantly and growled—what Mai had suggested clearly was not appealing to it.

She frowned, suddenly uncertain. "Wait a moment. You're…not going to eat me, are you?" she said slowly, realization dawning on her.

The dragon dipped its head curtly.

"So then…what…I don't understand. Why kidnap me?" she asked. "Is it because you thought I would be your treasure? Because if it is that's a really dumb reason to grab me."

The beast huffed again before nudging her deeper into the cave and toward the mouth of a passage, clearly intending for her to advance. Mai glanced at the dark shadows that were not even remotely lit by anything and she backed up. "Not a chance," she declared stubbornly. "No way you're getting me in there."

The dragon rolled its eyes before catching the back of her dress and lifting her into the air once again.

"Unless you do that," Mai conceded grudgingly, folding her arms across her chest petulantly and pouting. "You're cheating, you know, picking on a poor girl the way you are. I can't even fight back fairly, you walking saddlebag."

As an afterthought she said, "Is there a way I can ride on your back? I think you're going to rip what's left of this dress off me if you keep carrying me like this."

An odd sounding snort came from above her before the dragon carefully lifted her over its head and set her on its back. Mai debated on sliding down its back to escape, but curiosity as to what the dragon wanted with her made he stay put, instead gripping at the smooth scales as best as she could. Besides, where could she go that would outrun the dragon? It would catch her in no time flat.

The animal waited until she was situated comfortably before they began going deeper into the cave, Mai's vision darkening entirely as the dragon's body blocked the light from the cave entrance entirely; she trusted her captor entirely now, since she could see nothing in the dark and sweltering interior of the passageway.

As they got deeper inside Mai began to notice that the passage was sloping downward—wherever they were going was lower down and must not have an outside entrance, prompting the dragon to travel by foot, but this new place was going to be an admitted blessing. It was getting cooler as they went lower in the passageway, not to mention lighter and the foul smell from the other cave was not as prominent.

"Are you taking me to your hoard?" asked Mai, suddenly suspicious. Perhaps the dragon was only going to make her a part of its vast collection…maybe that was what it had in mind.

It made a noncommittal sound as they reached the mouth of the passage, slipping inside the suddenly large and spacious cavern. Mai carefully slipped off of it, startled by the sudden change in scenery—in contrast to the dark and somewhat menacing cave above them, this one was much airier and lighter, sunlight filtering through a hole in the ceiling in a corner of the cave. This must be on the outer edge of the mountain and not in the center, since there was no sign of the magma anywhere around them.

There was no also no sign of any kind of gold, jewels, or priceless artifacts in the area and Mai strongly suspected that this particular dragon did not have a hoard; she remembered the stories that her nurse had told her when she was a child, and all the dragons in those stories only came out when something from their treasure trove was stolen. "You are a really lousy dragon, aren't you?" she asked, half teasing.

The dragon made a face that Mai could have sworn was a scowl as it set her down, huffing indignantly. She smirked and boldly patted its massive hand—most people would not do something as that, but Mai was getting the distinct impression that it would not deliberately hurt her. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you don't have a hoard."

She blinked when she noticed the oddly glowing pool of water nearby and stared at it, entranced; this body of water took up a good part of the cavern and looked to be deeper the further out it went. The surface of the water was completely still, looking as polished as marble, but the sunlight caught the water and made it twinkle merrily; she could see the bottom of the pool, the stones on the bottom reflecting from the sunlight and causing the ethereal glow from the water.

"I don't understand why you brought me here," she began slowly, looking to the dragon for an explanation. "You don't have a hoard, and you don't want to eat me…so…why am I here?"

It looked at her with a nameless look before gently catching the back of her dress and lifting her into the air. Mai looked up at it in surprise when it set her down near the edge of the pool; when she gazed at it inquiringly for an explanation it let out an oddly distressed sound and nudged her forward.

"You want me to take a bath?" asked Mai, suddenly understanding. A second later she scowled. "I'm not getting naked, beast."

If it could, Mai would have bet that the dragon was now blushing furiously as its head violently shook back and forth. She could not help but laugh at its obviously flustered behavior. "I'm teasing again," she said reassuringly. "You want me in the pool for some reason, don't you?"

Mai looked down at her disheveled appearance and grimaced. She was covered in ash and drying blood from where she had cut her hands and feet on the volcanic rock; judging by the way her back was throbbing and stinging (and by the concerned glances it was being given by the dragon) she could bet her back was in a similar state.

She eyed the pool and reluctantly waded in fully clothed, the smooth surface rippling as she went up to her waist in the water. She was oddly bothered that she had to mar the pool with the grime on her body. Likely this was the dragon's drinking supply and she was getting it absolutely filthy—

She jumped when her skin began to prickle pleasantly, looking down at her hands in surprise when the skin on them began healing over the abrasions and cuts on them; she could feel the same thing happening to her legs and back and she hunched down in the water to allow the water to heal her back as well. As an afterthought she completely ducked beneath the water to get the filth out of her hair and washed her face quickly—no telling when she would be able to clean her face later and she might as well look _somewhat_ presentable.

When she stepped back out of the water and looked down at herself she was startled to note that she was clean, no trace of dirt or blood on her or the tattered remains of her dress; when she looked back at the pool it was to find that there was nothing to indicate that she had even been in it, nothing on its surface at all and the water as still as it had been before she'd entered.

"A healing spring," she said softly, looking in wonder at where the cuts had used to be on her hands. "I've only ever heard stories about them…I didn't think they existed."

She glanced at the other side of the cavern as she wrung the water out of her hair and dress, where the obsidian scaled dragon was limping to a corner. "Then again, I didn't think dragons existed either," she continued with a sigh.

Mai caught sight of the gaping wound in its side and on its back as it walked and she flinched. Jean Claude might be a pompous braggart, but he did have swordsmanship skills and he had done a huge amount of damage to the dragon with that sword of his. Her eyes softened when a pained sound escaped it after it brushed against the wall. It may have kidnapped her, but so far it had not hurt her and it had even tried to protect her last night when it had captured her.

"What about you? Aren't you going to use the spring?" she asked. "Those wounds look painful."

The dragon looked over at her with visible surprise before letting out a reassuring rumble from the back of its throat. It bent back down and picked something up with its teeth, limping over to her and carefully setting the object in its mouth down in front of her.

Mai bent down to see what the dragon wanted to show her, realizing that it was a thick book of some sort; the leather cover was worn, with several straps holding it shut, and the pages were tattered in some places, but when she picked it up she felt a jolt of energy shoot through the cover and she jumped, nearly dropping the book. "What on earth is this?" she asked in some disbelief, looking up at the dragon.

It snorted, glaring at the item in annoyance before hobbling to the spring and submerging itself up to its face, sighing in contentment as the wounds began closing; Mai's earlier suspicions that the pool was deeper than it appeared were confirmed by the fact its entire body was comfortably below the surface. It was not going to answer her questions at the moment, so she decided that she would further investigate the book in her hands.

She undid the straps on the front of the book and began carefully flipping through the pages (they were old, stained and felt fragile beneath her fingers—she didn't want to accidentally rip anything). The illustrations were old and faded; the words were written in a combination of languages that, while she recognized some of them, could not be entirely deciphered.

She frowned, studying the illustrations and the carefully written calligraphic text. Some of the languages, like English, were understood; she even recognized others her tutor had taught her. But the other languages…who on earth could read them? They were written in runes and words she was half-certain _had _to be made up. And the illustrations were all so strange, ranging from humans transforming into various animals to people shooting lightning from their hands.

Mai suddenly realized what she was looking at and her eyes widened. "A spell book," she breathed. How on earth had a dragon procured a spell book?

She heard a rumble and noticed that the dragon was coming out of the spring, its scales dripping water but its wounds completely healed; the scales where its injuries had been were a lighter shade of black than the rest of its body. It lumbered over to her and lay down, its tail curling around it as it gazed down at her as it waited for her reply.

"Then if you have this…do you have a sorcerer who's your master?" she asked.

It shook its head indignantly and lifted its chin, puffing its chest out importantly.

"Okay, okay," she laughed. "So you're not anyone's beast of burden. But then why do you have a spell book? You certainly can't cast any spells and I don't see any wizard letting you borrow this for light reading."

The dragon looked pointedly at the book, then gestured to itself with its tail, then looked back at the book.

It took a moment to understand, but then it clicked and she gazed back at the dragon. "You're under a spell, aren't you?" she asked, stunned. "That's why you kidnapped me…you need me to help you."

The giant animal nodded, looking eagerly at her and a hopeful light entering its eyes.

She suddenly felt overwhelmed. "Honey, I'm not a sorceress. I'm a princess, remember?" she pointed out. "I don't know the first thing about magic. I don't think I can help you—I can barely read any of this."

It deflated, its head drooping and a soft, frustrated whine escaping its throat as its tail slapped against the ground.

Mai looked up at it quietly. The dragon must be in a truly desperate situation if it was coming to her for help, despite the fact it knew that she had not a drop of magical blood in her veins. "You know, hon, I may not be a sorceress," she said at last, and the dragon's head shot up. "But I can read some of it. I can try to find the spell you're under and then you can find a wizard to cast the—counterspell, I think it's called. But when I do, you have to let me go," she added as an afterthought. "Deal?"

The dragon stared at her before letting out a triumphant roar, looking almost giddy as it nuzzled her before rising to its hind legs and doing a little dance; it had to bow because of the ceiling, but this did not hamper its celebration in the slightest.

"I take that to mean you agree," Mai laughed, keeping her balance. The dragon was causing the whole cave to quake from its steps. She gazed up at it thoughtfully for a moment and continued speaking. "Do you have a name? I don't want to keep calling you 'dragon' and I'm pretty sure that's not your name."

The dragon's lips curled back into a wide (and admittedly unsettling) grin before lifting its clawed hand and etching something painstakingly into the cave floor, the sound of its claws scratching against the stone and causing Mai to wince when it screeched.

"What are you…?" she began, glancing at the dragon when it proudly tapped the space on the floor with its tail. She wandered over and studied the scratches on the floor; although the writing was large and wobbly because of its large claws it was still legible.

"Jou?" she sounded out tentatively, glancing at it for approval.

The dragon—no, Jou—nodded enthusiastically, grinning at her once again.

She smiled back at it and then curtsied. "I'm Princess Mai," she said. "But, mostly because you can't talk and because there isn't anyone around who really will care, just call me Mai. I apologize for my appearance, but there's not much I can do since I don't have any other clothes."

She could have sworn that odd sound coming out of its mouth after this introduction was laughter.


	7. Humanity Revealed

_I apologize for how late this is. I have two papers to write and I had no time to sit down and write this until just tonight._

_Here's where things start to get interesting - rest assured, there's a twist in this chapter that's going to leave people going, "...WHAT."_

_I hope you all are enjoying this fic so far, and leave feedback if you can :D_

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><p>"So, Jou," Mai said, looking up at him from where she was lying on the floor. "Where are you from?"<p>

The dragon lifted its head and rolled its shoulders, motioning with its tail to the west.

"Oh that's descriptive," she commented wryly. "I can totally figure out where you're from."

Jou snorted.

"Okay, so you're from…actually, isn't that the direction of Jean Claude's kingdom?" she asked, waiting for confirmation.

He nodded, shooting her another disconcerting grin.

"Don't do that—your smile is the thing of nightmares," she complained, leaning back and propping herself up on her elbows.

It had been several days since her capture. In that amount of time she had learned how to adapt to her new surroundings, seeing how as this was certainly not a palace. One of the first things she'd learned was the reason why Jou was unconcerned about any escape attempts (not that he was); the cavern she was in was only one out of countless others, all of which were linked by an intricate web of passageways. She'd ended up lost while exploring on her first day and Jou had been forced to find her—his annoyance at that incident was something that he made no secret of and Mai resolved to stick to the caves nearest her if she needed to explore.

She also had to make do with the food. Jou had tried garnering her already cooked meat or stealing food from travelers whenever he went out to forage, but there were limitations on what he could procure and most of the time he ended up bringing back rabbits and deer—already slain, usually burned by Jou's attempts to cook it for her in advance, and tough to eat, but she would starve otherwise and frankly she had no choice.

There was a small comfort to her new home, though. On one of her wanderings through the caverns around the main one she'd found a small chamber with a slow moving mountain spring running through it, and although it was cold it was ideal for bathing purposes; she knew it wasn't a drinking spot for Jou, since the cavern entrance was far too small for him to get in.

Jou was also another surprising comfort. Although she usually had to hold one way conversations he proved to be quite intelligent and found ways to let her know what he thought; the dragon had a surprising range of facial expressions he could utilize, as well as varying sounds that Mai soon learned to interpret in response to her comments. She also found that they could engage in (somewhat) friendly banter without angering or offending Jou and she welcomed the change of pace—it was rare that she was allowed to act as herself these days without being frowned upon and Jou hardly seemed to care about how she acted.

The dragon also went out of his way to try and make her comfortable, and by the third day of her stay he'd managed to make her feel completely at ease; Jou generally slept in the upper, hotter cave she'd first woken up in, but he had brought down the deerskin blanket for her to use in case she got cold (and prompting her to wonder where he had gotten it—judging by the crude stitching it _had _to be handmade) and when not outside of the cave he would often sit in with her.

Speaking of foraging, Jou was unfolding himself from his curled position and lumbering toward the cavern entrance; he'd been sitting patiently while Mai had been talking to him, but she could tell he was getting restless. "Are you leaving now, Jou?"

The dragon dipped his head, shooting another smile at her before disappearing from view.

She watched him go before getting to her feet, brushing dirt carefully off the remains of her dress and wandering over to the entrance. First a bath, then she would get back to reading through the book; she had gotten halfway through it over the course of the time she had been here, though it was slow going due to it being written in multiple languages.

She sighed, glancing down at her tattered dress. The top left half of the gown had completely ripped away this morning when she'd gotten it caught on a rock and she was lucky the dragon was out hunting at the time; the rip was one that made things…well, indecent. She'd patched it up as best as she could and used the deerskin blanket as a cover, but it was safe to say that she needed a new dress.

"I should ask Jou if he can find a new dress for me to wear while he's out one of these times," she muttered as she made her way to the other cavern to bathe.

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><p>"…And <em>this<em> is going nowhere," Mai sighed, dropping the heavy book onto the cavern floor before flopping beside it. She would have thrown it out of frustration, but Jou had made it clear that she was to treat the book with care—and that meant _not_ tossing it at the wall again.

Mai's gaze then went back to the book and she scowled, sitting up and glaring at it. She'd made no headway on finding the proper counterspell, even though she had to have gone through the spells countless times and based on what she could tell from the light filtering in from above it was late afternoon. She'd been at it all day.

There were a few of them she could read since they were in languages her tutors had taught her, but not one of them even mentioned dragons in their title; the closest thing to mentions of dragons in those spells were ingredients for the potions, usually scales, teeth, or claws. Mai was certain that it had to be one of the spells written in runes, but the illustrations next to those spells were ones that made her wince. She was quite confident Jou _liked _having his innards right where they were.

She heard the sound of footsteps and felt the accompanying vibrations through the ground, signaling that Jou was back. "You need to lose some weight, dragon," she commented as it slipped through the opening. "If you're not careful you'll soon not be able to fly."

Jou delivered withering gaze before turning around and going right back out the way he had come, huffing indignantly.

"Jou, I was kidding!" Mai called exasperatedly. "Don't be such a woman and get back in here!"

When he did not immediately return Mai worried that she had inadvertently chased it off, but then she heard him coming and he came back inside, carrying a wooden cart gingerly in its jaws and setting it down in front of her; when Mai looked up at it questioningly it used its tail to gently pull her toward it, gesturing to the wagon with its snout pointedly.

"What is this?" she asked, climbing onto the cart and lifting the cloth cover off of the cargo in the back. She got a whiff of spices and noticed the bags of produce, straw, and gold, but her eyes caught the sight of dyed cloth sticking out from a trunk and they lit up. "Dresses!" she squealed, making her way to the back of the wagon and beginning to sort through the chest happily. "You _were_ paying attention after all!"

The dragon looked pleased, padding over to a corner of the cavern and lying down; his tail curled around himself and he laid his head down, letting out a tired sigh as his eyes closed.

Mai paused in the middle of sorting through the dresses, watching the dragon with a worried frown. "Jou?" she asked, setting the dress she'd been holding and carefully getting out of the wagon. She came over and stopped just short of his head, bending down to make herself eye level; even kneeling she was just barely taller than his head. "Jou, are you all right?"

One of his eyes opened, the ruby iris glazed over from exhaustion, but he let out an assuring rumble and gently nudged her to her feet and back to the wagon with its snout.

Mai watched him anxiously for a moment. He'd never appeared to be so tired before now…had she missed it because she'd been studying the book and not the dragon's appearance? Maybe she was the cause behind his exhaustion. After all, he was foraging for her as well as himself now. "Jou, you're not fine. Don't lie to me," she began, stepping toward him again—right onto a strip of cloth from her dress.

There was a rip and what remained of the dress skirt fell away entirely.

The dragon's eyes widened as he stared in both surprise and alarm, while Mai shrieked in embarrassment and sprinted for the cart. "_Don't you dare look or I'll gouge your eyes out!"_

The dragon's tired but barking laughter chased after her as she scrambled out of sight.

"Shut up!" she said furiously, huddling behind the wagon and holding the scraps of the skirt close to her. "I don't find this funny in the slightest."

There was a pause before the sound of Jou's footsteps came toward her, his head peering down at her curiously.

"JOU!" she squealed, running for the rocks and hiding behind them. "Have you no sense of decency? Men don't look at women when they aren't decent!"

Jou chortled, his large snout sifting through the chest before grabbing a dress and lumbering over to her.

"No closer, Jou!" she ordered. "Throw it to me, or put it on the ground and let me get it—but if you do that you turn around and don't let me catch you peeking."

The dragon rolled its eyes but brought its tail around to drop the dress onto it, using his tail to bring the dress to Mai; she leaned out from her current shelter and snagged the cloth, ducking back behind the outcrop of rock. "Turn around, Jou," she said firmly, holding the gown to her chest.

There was a heavy sigh but he complied, going back to his original spot and tucking his head under his wings.

When she was assured that Jou was not peeking Mai pulled the remains of the dress away from her, the satisfying sound of the fabric ripping away filling the air; she hated this gown and was actually somewhat pleased that she _finally_ could wear something else (though she wished it would have been under less embarrassing circumstances).

The dress Jou had picked out was not one a royal tailor would even dream of making, with a loose-fitting white peasant top that bared her shoulders and a purple skirt that went to the middle of her shins, but frankly it was much more comfortable than any of the other gowns she'd ever had and certainly a far sight better than the rags she'd been wearing for a week and a half.

"All right, dragon, you can look now," she said at last, coming out from behind the rocks and into view.

Jou's head came out from under his wings with an exasperated sigh, but then his eyes landed on her and a surprised sound came from his throat. His head dipped approvingly at her, another grin splitting his face.

"You like it that much, huh?" she guessed. "You _would._"

He raised an eyebrow, his expression asking her to contradict him.

She planted her hands on her hips, smiling playfully at him. "Well I'm glad you like it. It's certainly comfortable," she admitted, twirling around to make her skirt flair out around her.

Jou gave a small grin before his gaze went past her, where the book was lying on the floor. He let out a soft whine, glancing at Mai hopefully.

She sighed, sitting on the floor and glaring at the book. "Sorry, Jou. I can read about half the spells, but none of them are the ones that will bring you back to…whatever state you were in before," she said with a helpless shrug. "As near as I can figure, the spell we need is either one that's written in runes or one written in some gibberish language I can't make out. I think there's even a couple written only in pictures. Who did you take this from? Maybe we can ask him for help."

Jou snorted derisively from behind her.

"I'll take that as a no. Why, did you eat him?"

An affronted snarl.

"Okay, so you didn't eat him. Did you kill him?"

His giant head shook back and forth, looking annoyed with himself.

"So this guy sounds like he can't be reasoned with…I honestly don't know what to do, Jou."

She turned in time to watch Jou slump, his head back on the floor and closing his eyes with another keening, disappointed whine. His tail moved over his eyes to cover them and his wings drooped—this clearly was not what he wanted to hear.

"I told you, Jou. I'm not a sorceress," she said, a tad defensive in response to this reaction. "You need a wizard or a sorcerer to help you. Maybe we can ask the one that cast it to undo it?"

Jou's head shot up, glaring at her indignantly.

"Well what else do you want me to do? Magically learn how to read chicken scratch?" she asked. "I even told you as much to begin with. You should have kidnapped someone who could actually read the book!"

The dragon huffed.

"Don't give me that! I _have _been trying, Jou!" she growled, correctly interpreting his dubious look. "I don't exactly have anywhere else I can go or anything else to do, in case you have not noticed. It's not my fault you grabbed the wrong person."

Jou glowered at her for a moment before the fire left his eyes and he let out a tired sigh. He suddenly looked too worn out and dejected and Mai suddenly had the urge to try and comfort him. "Jou…" she began hesitantly, taking a step toward him. "I can keep trying, but we need help."

The dragon shook his head, glaring at her.

"Jou, you aren't going to change back on your own. We need to get help from an actual wizard!" she protested. "I can't help you any further, not like this. We can go to my kingdom and—"

Jou rose to his feet with a growl and stormed out of the cavern with a snarl, not looking back once.

"—aaand ask for assistance from one of the court wizards. _Men_," she snapped, storming back to the book on the floor. "Can't they ask for help once in a while?"

She glared at the book. "This is your fault," she said irritably, kicking it as hard as she could—and then started cursing vehemently as pain blossomed in her toes.

* * *

><p>"Mai?"<p>

A gentle shake on her shoulder.

"Mai, come on. The floor's not that comfortable, you know."

The shake was harder this time.

"_Mai._"

She opened her eyes blearily, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She must have fallen asleep while trying to interpret the spells again; she was lying on her side, the book open in front of her. Mai stretched and suppressed a yawn, rubbing her eyes. "I'm awake," she mumbled sleepily, noticing the fire nearby and frowning. Had she made one before she'd gone to bed? She didn't have firewood or means to make a fire, but then again maybe Jou had set it up for her.

There was a sigh of relief. "Good. I was beginning to think that you were in some trouble or you died. You're a pretty heavy sleeper, y'know. I kept thinking you'd snore."

"Shut up," she grumbled—and then she stiffened.

_Who was she talking to?_

Her eyes widened in alarm and her head snapped up to look at the figure shrouded in shadow squatting next to her, scrambling backwards and toward the fire. "Get away from me!" she said, half frightened and half angry. "Come any closer and I'll—I'll—well, you won't like what I do!"

The figure started forward, holding his hands up reassuringly; his silhouette was taller than hers and was distinctly male. She managed to get to her feet and backed away, moving into the firelight. "Mai, take it easy," he said, his voice holding a soothing note to it. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Oh yeah, _that's_ going to get me to trust you. Truly you're someone I can rely on," she said sarcastically, looking around her frantically for some sort of weapon. Her eyes went to the cart still in the cavern and she ran for it, climbing into the back and searching for anything she could use as a—

A pair of arms wrapped around her, pinning her arms to her sides, and she screamed. She started kicking wildly at whatever she could reach, driving her elbow backwards into her attacker's stomach. A muffled and pained grunt came from behind her.

"Mai, it's me!" snarled her current captor.

"Jou!" she shouted, hoping the dragon could hear her or was at least somewhere close by. "Jou, help!"

"For God's sake, Mai, I'm trying to tell you _I am Jou!"_

"Oh_ sure _you are!" she grunted, breaking free and stumbling forward. "Jou's a dragon, genius! _JOU!_"

The man caught her arm and yanked her around to face him, gripping her by her elbows as he dragged her closer to the fire. "Mai, stop struggling for a moment and look at me!" he ordered firmly.

Mai fought against him fruitlessly for a few more seconds but something caught her eye and she stopped, her eyes locking onto the man holding her.

He was shirtless, his upper body well built and muscled (and admittedly making Mai swallow—he was certainly good-looking); a pair of badly torn pants covered the lower half of his body, going down to his knees. His shaggy blond hair fell into ruby colored eyes, complementing his rugged features, and the face peering into hers was a young but handsome one.

But he could not entirely be human, because humans did not have black-scaled arms, legs, and a long tail—from the knee down the man's legs were draconic, while his forearms were also plated in black scales. The hands gripping her were just a little too large and she could feel the tips of talons digging into her upper arms. A pair of black horns poked out from beneath his hair just behind his ears, and she could see the rippling of scales beneath the skin of his face and bared upper arms.

She swallowed, looking into his face again searchingly. "…Jou?" she asked, flinching when the cat-like eyes locked onto hers.

"I told you that already," he grumbled, releasing her and stepping away. "Honestly, woman, you've got to quit trying to hurt me—I bruise, you know," he added with a wry laugh, gesturing to the red mark on his stomach.

Mai stared. "You're…you're…what are you?" she asked faintly.

Jou grinned back at her, showing his fangs. "I _was_ human," he replied conversationally, padding over to the cart and hopping onto it. His back was to her as he started sorting through the goods in the wagon, tossing out random objects every now and then. "But then I got cursed, so…fantastic, new pants!" he added brightly, lifting a pair of black trousers into view. "Never can get enough of those. It's hard enough making blankets, but it's even worse making clothes."

Mai slowly advanced on him, her eyes never leaving him as she left the fireside. "So all this time, you've been…" she trailed off, uncertain what she was supposed to ask.

Jou blinked, turning around to study her. "Mai?" he asked, hopping down and coming back over to her. A concerned frown marred his face. "You look a little pale. Are you all right?"

She nodded mutely, still in shock.

"Hey, don't pass out," said Jou, sounding both worried and exasperated. "I know it's a little surreal, but—"

Mai punched him.

"Ouch!" he yelped in surprise, backing away from the suddenly irate woman. "What was that for?"

"You mean to tell me you can change back into a human?" she snapped angrily, stalking toward him and ignoring the pain in her hand. Fury clouded her vision and she continued to hit him. "You kidnapped me, scared me out of my mind, dragged me from home, ruined my dress, made me to believe you were helpless and needed my assistance…and you mean to tell me _you can change back any time_?"

"Not exactly!" protested Jou, catching her flailing fists in his large hands. "Look, I'm trying to explain this to you but I can't do that if you're hitting me! I thought women weren't supposed to hit guys!"

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you!"

"Good luck with that. You didn't even hurt me that—okay, _ow_! Mai, for pity's sake, cut it out!" he snapped, eyes flashing. "I can explain!"

"It had better be a _really_ good explanation, Jou, because I'm contemplating on whether or not I should make you into a saddlebag!"

He took a steadying breath and sighed. "If I let you go, promise me you won't hit me anymore," he said crossly. "I can cook us something to eat, then I can explain to the best of my abilities what's going on. Okay?"

She glared at him suspiciously. "The best of your abilities?" she repeated skeptically.

"Well, yeah. There's a lot of things I need to tell you, while I've got the chance," he said. When she continued to glower at him he added impatiently, "Look, the whole 'Jou is human' thing doesn't last that long. The sun already went down and I've only got one night to explain what's going on."

She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes, studying him to see if he was lying to her. When he continued to look back at her, meeting her gaze with a slightly sheepish (and admittedly cute) smile, she sighed and put her hands on her hips. "Start talking."


	8. Spellbound

_Wooow. This...came out to be a lot longer than I thought it would be._

_I know that things are kind of slow at the moment, but after this chapter things are going to start picking up. Again, thanks for sticking with me so far on this little project of mine._

_Quick note: review replies will be delayed, since I will be focusing on studying for finals. I will try to reply as quickly as I can, but if you don't see a reply right away that's why. Oh...and you're going to hate me for what's at the end of the chapter :D_

* * *

><p>Jou glanced at the woman uneasily as he stirred the broth currently stewing in the pot he had pilfered from some traveler. "Sure smells good," he offered with a hesitant grin, avoiding her cross gaze as he stirred the stew.<p>

Mai's lips tightened into a thin line and her arms tightened across her chest. "It does," she said stiffly, looking thoroughly annoyed.

Jou sighed, running a taloned hand through his hair (and wincing when the claws scratched his scalp too hard). "You've barely said a word this whole time. I'm sure you've got questions," he said tiredly. "The bruises you left on me tell me that much."

"Oh, did I bruise the big bad dragon?" she asked, false sympathy coloring her words. "Oh, poor baby."

"I already told you, I'm not a dragon. I got cursed," retorted Jou with a scowl.

Mai glared. "You could have implied as much when you first captured me, Jou."

"I _did_! You guessed I was under a spell, how did it _not_ occur to you I was human?"

"You said nothing about the part where you changed back into a human being!"

"It's kind of hard to do that when your vocabulary is limited to nothing but growls, Mai," Jou deadpanned.

"Excuses, excuses. I want answers, starting with why you're human right now."

The blond leaned back against the cave wall and let out a heavy sigh; his scales caught the firelight and flickered, the light dancing off his scales. "I don't really know," he admitted, his tail curling around his feet. "I got cursed a couple of months ago and as near as I can tell the spell I'm under weakens when there's no moon. That's why I can shift back…but it does not last long. I change back the moment the sun rises," he added.

"So it's a monthly occurrence," Mai said, more to herself. "So if you change back once a month, why not read the book then? Why do you need me?"

Jou scowled at the leather-bound spell book lying near their feet; Mai had brought it over earlier to try and focus on finding the counter spell, but she'd been so distracted by the fact that Jou was now human (and a handsome one at that, though she still refused to admit it) that she had not been able to focus on the book. "Watch," he said curtly, holding his hand out over the book.

Green sparks instantly flew from the cover; a circle of runes spun wildly in the center of the book. A long stream of light burst from the ring of runes and wrapped around Jou's arm, crackling menacingly along the surface of his scales. Jou instantly pulled his hand away, but Mai could see that the flesh around his scales was glistening and blistered. "That's why," he said crossly, flinching when he prodded the injury. "I cannot pick up the book in this form. I can only handle it when I'm a dragon."

Mai watched the light fade away, returning the book to its (deceptively innocent) state. "I see. The sorcerer that cast the spell must have known you'd change back," she stated slowly, frowning. "Why would he give you the book, though?"

"He didn't give it—I stole it. I can read almost all the languages in the book, but as a dragon it's harder to read because I cannot turn the pages without risking tearing the book into shreds," Jou concluded, returning his attention to the stew and stirring it. He sampled a small bite from it and grimaced. "What I would give to have some curry with this," he muttered, scowling at the pot. "I am so sick of venison stew I could choke."

"What is curry?"

Jou looked over at her, completely flabbergasted. "You mean to tell me you've never had curry?" he asked, affronted. "You're royalty! You've had to have had some!"

"My kingdom is pretty small, Jou. We're off the beaten track, so we don't get too many foreigners or traders through our kingdom; we have to travel to other lands to get goods," Mai pointed out defensively. "What is curry, anyways?"

"Only the best thing _ever_," said Jou, his eyes lighting up. "It's a kind of sauce you pour over rice and it has all sorts of delicious meats and spices in it. My mother could make the best curry. It was a delicacy where she was from, so she perfected the recipe—never too spicy, never too sweet, and just enough bite to it to make your eyes water."

Mai grinned. "I take it you were on good terms with your mother?"

Jou's smile faded. "Sort of," he admitted. "I was raised separately; my father was in charge of my upbringing, while my mother was in charge of my sister. She was always polite to me, I guess—she had been brought over from another country, so she never really liked it here."

"You've got a sister?" asked Mai curiously. She digested the rest of the information and then continued with, "Why were you two raised separately, if you don't mind me asking? It's fairly uncommon to do that."

Jou shrugged. "My dad was a real stickler for tradition and he believed that a man should raise his son without any influence from the mother, especially if they were—"

Mai stiffened when she noticed that Jou had completely frozen, half rising from where she was sitting out of concern when his eyes widened and his breath came in a sharp gasp. "Jou?"

Without warning he fell back and collapsed onto the cavern floor, coming dangerously near the fire as he started thrashing and writhing in pain. The same green electricity that had prevented him from touching the book started crackling all around him, forcing his lips to draw back in a snarl; low, strangled sounds of pain came from in between his clenched teeth.

"Jou!" she nearly shrieked, coming to his side. "Are you okay? What's happening?"

"Don't…touch…!" he managed, sweeping her away with his tail and starting to tremble as he curled in on himself. "Shock…hurt you…!"

"How do I make it stop? Jou, what do I do?" she asked urgently, terrified by what she was seeing. "_Jou!"_

"…ask…"

"Ask? You mean ask you a question? What question?" she pressed, confused and frightened. "What do I ask?"

"…Any…thing...color...!"

"What's your favorite color?" she asked quickly, her voice cracking from desperation.

Abruptly the green light faded and the electricity disappeared entirely and Jou relaxed, panting and his limbs twitching spasmodically every now and then; his arms—which had been curled around him in pain—relaxed and fell onto the floor. Mai could see crimson liquid on the tips of Jou's talons from where they had been digging into his side. "I like a dark shade of green, but I can be talked into blue every now and then," he answered in jagging gasps, struggling to sit up once again and offering her a weary smile.

Mai, however, was utterly petrified. "What just…Jou, what…did I cause that?" she asked timidly, not trusting herself to move as Jou slowly sat up with a wince.

"No. It was not your fault. I forgot," he said tiredly. "It's a part of the curse. I cannot tell you anything specific about who I am or about certain aspects of the spell—if I try the curse kicks in, and let me tell you that it _hurts_. If it happens again just ask a generic question, like what my favorite color is or what my favorite food is. Answering the question stops the curse."

When he noticed Mai's visibly upset expression he rose unsteadily to his feet and tottered over to her. "Are you all right?" he asked gently. Not getting an immediate response, he reached over and firmly steered her face to look at his. "It's not your fault. If anything, blame the sorcerer who did this to me," he said reassuringly. "And hey, I was dumb enough to forget about that aspect of the curse. No lasting harm done."

Mai nodded too quickly. "If you insist," she said shakily, swallowing when she noticed the bleeding wounds in Jou's sides. She collected herself and managed to regain some of her composure. "You should heal that," she continued, gesturing to his side. "It…it looks painful."

Jou glanced down at his sides and rose wordlessly to his feet, staggering out of view of the fire; Mai heard his labored footsteps as he made his way to the healing pool, followed by a splash as Jou entered the water, but she kept her eyes at the heart of the flames.

No wonder Jou had refrained from telling her anything right away, Mai realized numbly. Jou probably had not known what would set off the safeguard on the curse and that was why he had not implied he was human to begin with…what kind of sorcery was she dealing with? What sort of wizard could cast such a powerful spell that would reduce Jou to that state, who could predict Jou would steal the book and take proper countermeasures against the theft? Who could force him to remain a dragon for all but one night a month?

A pretty powerful one, based on what she had witnessed so far.

She heard lighter, less pained footsteps and looked over just as Jou reappeared, water dripping from his hair and body; he shook himself out just short of her, reminding her briefly of a hound that had gotten wet, before padding all the way back over to her. "That's better," he sighed in contentment, sitting back down gingerly. "It doesn't take away all the aches, but it reduces it a great deal."

"Jou?"

"Hm?"

"…I am sorry for punching you earlier."

Jou paused, a small but genuine smile lighting his features. "It's all right. See, look—no bruises," he said warmly, gesturing at where the red mark had used to be on his face. "Don't fret over me. I heal pretty quickly."

There was a long pause, in which Jou continued watching over the stew and Mai contented herself with mulling over her thoughts; once or twice he would hiss in pain and she would look at him in concern, but then they would both return to what they were doing.

It was Mai who broke the silence next. "Why don't you go to a sorcerer for help?"

Jou stopped in mid-stir, looking over at her with a tilt of his head.

"I mean, why have me read the book? Why not just take the book to someone who can help you?" she pressed on, her words tumbling out. "I am only a princess, Jou, I cannot cast spells or help you properly—"

"I can't answer that, Mai," replied Jou, cutting over her. He suddenly looked tired. "At least, I cannot answer a part of that question. I can tell you why I will not go to a sorcerer, if that clears things up."

When Mai said nothing, her expression clearly asking him to continue, Jou cleared his throat. "Firstly, sorcerers pretty much band together," he began, and Mai suddenly got the impression that Jou was reciting his words from memory. "They've got some kind of community that they are all a part of, so if one gets into trouble others go to their aid. I stole a spell book from the man who cursed me, which means that the rest of them know by now that a dragon has an old and powerful book in its possession and will come after it. Y'know, blast first and ask questions later—I'd be dead before I even got in range of the wizard in question.

"Secondly, sorcerers and sorceresses alike both utilize draconic elements in spells and potions. You'd be surprised at how many spells require dragon scales, teeth, bone, flesh…pretty much, anything on a dragon you can think of can be used by a sorcerer."

"I can get an idea," Mai said darkly, shifting her gaze briefly to the spellbook on the floor. "I was looking at all the spells and nearly three quarters of them need something from a dragon."

Jou nodded. "See? Again, I'd be dead before I even got close enough to say hello."

"Are there any other reasons?" asked Mai, starting to frown. "Surely not every sorcerer or sorceress would want to maim or kill you."

"Oh yeah, there might be a couple of them that might be merciful enough to let me live—long enough to contact the one who cursed me so _he _can maim or kill me instead."

"Why did he curse you?" she inquired, her frown deepening. "What did you do to anger him?"

"…"

"You cannot tell me that much?"

"I can only tell you that the guy who did it had less than honorable reasons for doing it, and that I did absolutely nothing to make him mad enough to curse me," replied Jou with a scowl, stirring the pot idly and staring into the cauldron. "I was actually looking for a cure for my sister at the time."

"You mentioned her earlier, right before…well, anyways. What is she like?"

"Who, Zuka?" he asked, starting to smile.

"Yes, if Zuka is your sister's name. Is she younger than you?

"Yeah. She's a real sweetheart. Kind and gentle, but just enough steel in her to make a grown man take a few steps back. She can be oddly naïve about other men, though—I always have to chase my friends away from her," he added with a scowl, slightly pouting. Mai had to stifle a giggle.

Jou's smile faded and he studied his hands. "I haven't seen her since I got cursed. I have got no idea how she's doing," he said quietly, looking frustrated.

Mai frowned, a small spike of sympathy blooming in her chest. She may not have had siblings, but she could still understand a small portion of Jou's frustration. "It sounds like you are concerned about her."

"I am. Several months ago she got sick…_real _sick. It's the same sickness that killed off my mother, actually. I left home to try and find the cure, but—well, we both know what happened to me then," he said half-sarcastically, half pained. "She probably thinks I abandoned her, if she hasn't died already."

It was his dejected, miserable expression that made Mai feel as if she should say something to comfort him. "If you two are as close to each other as I think you are she knows you're trying to get back to her. Do not worry, Jou—I am certain that she does not think that you've abandoned her at all."

Jou looked back at her hopefully. "You think so?"

"I do," she replied evenly, offering a reassuring smile. "So the faster we break this spell on you, the faster we can get you home to her."

Jou's entire countenance lit up, his eyes glimmering with hope. "You're still going to help me?" he inquired. "I had thought that you would not help me anymore, given the fact you were mad at me earlier."

Mai laughed. "I did promise to help you, Jou, and I don't go back on my word. A princess is obligated to do that much and—um, Jou?"

"Yes?"

"Is venison stew supposed to start spewing black smoke at this point?"

"…GAH!"

Jou scrambled for the cauldron and lifted it bodily from the top of the fire, setting it to the side and making sure Mai was not near the burning hot pot; she was initially startled that Jou was handling it without taking precautions, but then she remembered that Jou's hands were covered in scales that likely were protecting him from the heat.

"Watch out, Mai," he said brusquely, and there was an odd ripping sound before a pair of black wings came into view from behind his shoulders. She backed away in surprise as he flapped his wings, pushing the black smoke away from the stew and causing the fire to flicker briefly before settling once again.

He turned to her and grinned. "Ta daaa!" he sang brightly. "I'd say the stew's ready."

Mai inched closer, her eyes landing on the pair of wings that protruded from his back. The base of the wings were melded flawlessly in the area between his shoulder blades, where Mai could see the thin flaps of skin under which his wings had been tucked under; it seemed Jou had been storing the appendages _inside_ his body. "Did that hurt?" she asked as she pointed to his wings, feeling embarrassed when Jou looked at her.

He did not seem to mind her question. "No," he said, tucking them close to his body and over his shoulders like a cape. "It feels strange at first, but when you've been cursed with them you learn to get used to whipping them out," he admitted.

He reached over to snag two wooden bowls and began scooping the stew into them. "It's not much and I'm sure you have eaten better things that aren't burned," he began, but Mai dug into her bowl hungrily.

"Compared to the charbroiled rabbit and deer I've been eating lately, Jou, this is a wonderful alternative," she said, humming in contentment as she took her first spoonful of the stew.

* * *

><p>"So Jou, what <em>can <em>I ask you that won't cause…that earlier reaction…to happen to you?" said Mai, setting the empty bowl down on a nearby rock.

The young man, who had finished eating first and was stretched out lazily on a ledge a short distance above her, blinked sleepily down at her. "Not much," he said, stifling a yawn. "Unfortunately, I can't tell you too much about me without feeling like I got struck by lightning."

"You have a family, don't you?" she pointed out. "You told me a bit about your sister, but what about your parents? Didn't you say something about your mother?"

"She died when I was younger," Jou said quietly. "The same ailment that's plaguing my sister is the same one that killed her. That's why I have to break the curse and get back," he continued. "If I don't figure out a way to help her…"

"Could you bring some of the healing water to her?" asked Mai, looking over at where the pool was; the dying embers of the fire caught the edges of the water and lit the water's surface.

"That's what I was thinking," said Jou, eyes softening. "There's at least one benefit to being turned into a dragon. The water could help her a great deal, if not cure Zuka entirely."

"What kind of names are Jou and Zuka, anyways?"

"You ask a lot of questions, don't you?" asked Jou with amusement.

"Pardon me if I'm taking the chance to talk to you before you change back into a dragon for the next month," Mai scoffed.

He shook his head in some resignation, amused. "To be honest, my mother named us. I think I told you earlier she was from a foreign country, so…yeah."

"Why didn't your father name you?" she asked, frowning. "Is it not it his duty to name you?"

Jou's expression darkened. "He liked his ale and his wines. He was not exactly an ideal man to raise me and was too busy indulging his tastes to care about me or my sister."

Mai's eyes narrowed. "I see. What has become of him in the time you've been gone? Do you know?"

"He got intoxicated and fell into a pond, a week before I left home." Jou's face was hard. "It is not any concern to me—he was against me going on this journey for Zuka to begin with. He said it would be better if I didn't bother."

His expression remained cold for a few moments longer as an awkward silence fell, but then it cleared and he dropped his chin onto his hands, his tail curling in the air behind him. "So, Mai," he began. "Your turn. Why don't you tell me about yourself?"

Mai arched an eyebrow. "I have to answer your questions now?"

"Why not? It works both ways, Highness."

Mai smirked but leaned against the wall. "Well, you already know I'm a princess," she started. "I don't have any siblings, but I do have a lot of cousins who are prosperous lords or ladies. My parents rule over a small kingdom that, while not as large as others, is prosperous. I was raised by a nurse, given anything I asked for, and want nothing more than to settle down in an equally prosperous kingdom and be taken care of. You know—typical princess material."

"You are _not_ typical," remarked Jou flatly, scowling. "For one, you punched me. For another, you kicked me in the eye. Thirdly, you tried to make a weapon out of a stick. Finally, you threatened to make me into a saddlebag. _A SADDLEBAG. _That's not exactly something a princess's tutors teach her to say."

Mai planted her hands on her hips. "So I'm not a weak minded woman who lets everyone else tell her how to behave. Is that so troublesome?"

"Nah. Actually, I like women who speak their minds," he replied nonchalantly. "Most other princesses are stuck up, snooty, prim and proper dolls. You're pretty _and_ you speak out."

"You think I am pretty? Being a little forward, aren't you?"

Jou turned pink. "Would you prefer me to say you are ugly?"

Mai scowled. "No need to be that forward, Jou?"

"Hmm. You mean I should start showing you false humility?"

Jou hopped down from his perch and bowed to her from the waist gracefully. "Mmm good day, my dear," he began, his voice assuming a haughty and pompous tone. "Allow me to introduce myself, but first let me pretend that I care about you as I brag all about myself."

Mai giggled as he pulled her to her feet. "You sounded like Prince Jean Claude for a moment!"

He grinned and continued on with, "Now let us dance, and make sure that we use the proper dance technique! We waltz only on one foot and spin around like so!"

Her giggles turned into full blown laughter and she allowed Jou to twirl her around. "Don't forget to pick your feet up like this," she added, daintily picking her feet up as the two of them danced their way across the cavern floor. "If you don't you get your feet stepped on—most disgraceful indeed!"

"And we wouldn't want that to happen, so don't waltz too slow. But don't go to fast lest you make your partner ill!" Jou crowed, his dragon legs easily keeping balance as they danced.

The two of them continued to dance, their laughter bouncing off the walls and the fire casting their shadows against the walls. Somewhere along the way Mai realized that their exaggerated movements were melding into an actual waltz; Jou had not yet seemed to realize this, but even though his side of the dance was hampered by the draconic elements of his body he seemed to know exactly what to do.

It was the first time in her memory Mai had ever enjoyed dancing.

* * *

><p>Mai stifled a yawn and woke up, blinking back sleep as she sat up; the deerskin blanket slipped off of her, pooling at her waist. Sunlight filtered in through the hole at the top of the cavern, signaling that it was morning. There was something black curled around the area she was lying in and she was confused at first until she heard a soft rumble from behind her.<p>

She realized that the black thing was Jou's tail, wrapped around where she had been sleeping in a loose ring; when she looked behind her it was to come face to face with a dragon's head. Sometime after Mai had fallen asleep Jou must have shifted back into his dragon form. He was sound asleep, breathing evenly.

She smiled at him before carefully tiptoeing around his tail, going to where the fire had been the night before. She surveyed the cauldron, the edges caked with the remnants of the stew, and decided she would clean it up later; she was not a scullery maid so she would figure out how to clean the pot out later.

She hummed to herself as she waltzed over to the other cavern to get a bath. Jou was a lot nicer than nearly all the men that she had ever met, even if he was rough around the edges; he had not cared that she had acted so unlike a princess and in fact enjoyed that aspect of her. It was so rare to find anyone who accepted her for who she was…and he'd done it in the first few minutes of conversation.

Pity he was not a prince—she would have gladly courted such a man if he existed.

Her smile faded as she passed the spell book. Jou sincerely needed her help and if he was to help his sister she would have to find the counterspell quickly. Mai would have to double her efforts; now that she knew that Jou was not able to read the book or able to go to a wizard for help it all lay with her ability to read the languages. It would be difficult and likely impossible, but Mai would give it every effort she had.

But first, a bath.

Mai stepped out into the passageway and made her way nimbly through the semi-lit passage, slipping into the chamber where the bathing pool was. She'd make it a quick bath, to freshen up, and then she would get right to—

A hand went over her mouth and she was tugged back against someone's body.

She screamed, her voice muffled by her captor's hand, and she struggled fruitlessly against him; she caught a glimpse of white in the corner of her vision and a pair of feral, almost crimson colored eyes before she was faced forward and her arms were pinned at her sides.

"Well, now, what have we here?" murmured a man's voice in her ear. "My, but things have _definitely_ taken an interesting turn."


	9. Enter the Thief King

_Okay, so the update for this is VASTLY overdue._

_Holidays, another fic I was working on, and other miscellaneous things on my end delayed the chapter. Every time I sat down to update it didn't get done (and that's not saying anything for the review replies I owe people and poor "Come Together", which STILL needs an update for New Year's Eve and Christmas...oh boy am I behind.) Nonetheless, I finally sat down and had time to figure out what comes next._

_By the way, you're going to be getting an impromptu geography lesson - this IS an AU, so therefore the lay of the land will be noticeably different. This is because there are going to be characters from different regions that, frankly, have fun accents or don't look like they're from around Mai's neck of the woods...aaaand I probably just gave away a couple characters who are showing up in this chapter._

* * *

><p>Mai been in such a similar predicament once before, as a child.<p>

She'd been wandering the gardens during some party her parents had been hosting when the man had vaulted the wall and had grabbed a hold of her; Mai had been caught off guard, which was why she had not initially screamed, and by the time she realized what was happening she'd had a cloth stuffed in her mouth and was slung over the man's shoulder.

She'd only been ten. She had not known what to do in that situation. She had never been in that sort of danger before and had been lucky that Vivian had been there; even as a child Vivian had been taught in the art of being her bodyguard and knew how to wield the poison tipped daggers that were the trademark weapon of her family. The other girl had simply thrown one of her knives and the man had only taken a few paces before falling in front of her mother and father, dead before he hit the ground.

It was one of the few times in Mai's memory that her parents had genuinely been scared for her.

Now, years later, Mai had a lot more experience under her belt. Vivian had taught her basic defensive maneuvers so that such a situation would never occur again and, in the event Vivian could not protect her, Mai could hold off attackers for a short period of time; for a long while her parents had even let their guards attempt to kidnap her, though this lasted briefly as they proved not to be as effective (it was difficult to tell a man loyal to the crown that they were supposed to kidnap their master's daughter, since they often held back and Mai usually learned nothing). She was supposed to be prepared for this type of thing.

_Supposed to be_ was an operative phrase, at best. That did not mean she was ready to be grabbed by an unknown assailant at any given moment—especially given her current circumstances.

Mai tried driving her elbow back into the man's stomach but he was ready for her. He caught her by the elbow and pinned her arm back behind her, jerking upward and causing her to yelp in pain. "You just might want to rethink your strategy," he chided, sounding almost playful. "I don't really want to dislocate your shoulder, but if you keep struggling I just might."

Mai growled, next going for his leg. She managed to step on the inside of his foot, but he was wearing boots and her bare feet did nothing to affect him.

He sighed. "Maybe you are deaf?" he asked sarcastically, jerking her arm further up. She let out a little muffled scream this time but turned her head to glower at him from the corner of her eye. "I said to knock it off."

"She's got some spunk, don' she?" came a new voice, also male and sounding distinctly amused.

"Shut up, you twit. You'll wake up the dragon," snapped her captor in a low voice, dragging her away from the entrance of the cavern and into a darkened corner. "Now make yourself useful and hold her."

The shorter man—more like a boy, now that she could see him— shrugged and came over to them. His hair was standing up in fluffy brown spikes and he was wearing a short and dark red tunic with black pants, the bottoms of which were tucked into a pair of dyed deerskin boots; his arms were covered up to the elbows by what appeared to be homemade arm guards, dried leather covering them completely.

"Whatever you say, boss," he said nonchalantly, glancing at her with cerulean colored eyes. "I don' mind this task at all—she's right pretty," he added, winking at her.

Mai would have dearly loved to slap him.

She had been bracing herself to scream the moment the hand came off her mouth but unfortunately the two of them were prepared. Seconds after the other man had her arm she found herself in the exact same position as before, minus the fact that her captor was different. The change in positions, however, allowed her to see who had captured her; he'd gone to the edge of the cavern and was peering into the main one from around the corner.

The first man who had grabbed her had his hair hidden beneath a cloth hat of some sort, but a quick glance at his bangs and Mai understood why—it appeared that this individual had white hair, a detail about their appearance that made them almost blatantly visible to anyone who was looking for it. He was lithe but built, the black garments making his pale skin stand out; when he glanced over at her she could see the familiar red-tinted eyes that had glared at her the first time.

"You've got her, right?" he asked, clearly addressing the one holding her.

"No worries, 'Kura, I've got 'er," came the reassuring reply.

"Call me that again, Valon, and I promise to burn your tongue out. It's Bakura to you."

Mai frowned. Bakura…Bakura…she _knew_ she had heard that name before. Where, though? There was something important about that name, it had been a topic of discussion in the court once over dinner…oh who cared? It would come to her later, likely when she was not about to be possibly killed.

Wait. They were concerned about whether or not Jou was asleep…did that mean that these men were dragon hunters? Were they here to skin Jou or rip out his claws, rob him of his teeth or the like? She could not say. It was not like these men would let her go long enough to—

There was a low rumbling from outside of the cavern and the vibrations she could feel through the ground told her that Jou had woken up. These men were done for.

Bakura seemed to have realized this as well. "It's coming right at us," he hissed, backing into the shadows. "Why is it coming here? It can't possibly fit through this entrance!"

_He's looking for me,_ she realized. That familiar and curious growl she could hear was Jou trying to find her; he did not know where she had gone off to. Could he hear her? Come on, his sense of smell_ had_ to be heightened! Surely he could at least smell the two intruders!

Valon seemed to have come to the same conclusion. "Bloody…'Kura, it's lookin' for the woman," he whispered.

"Good for you. Shut up and don't call me Kura again!" snapped Bakura in an undertone, hand on something at his side.

There was a pause. Mai smirked, confident that there was not a chance they could get out of this. Jou had to know that by now there were intruders; his growls had gone from curious to confused, a hint of alarm in the tone. What could these men come up with in that amount of time that would keep Jou off course?

Behind her she heard Valon clear his throat before a falsetto voice called out, "It's all right! I'm, eh…taking a bath! I'll be out later!"

…_Jou would have to be three kinds of stupid to fall for that._

There was a long pause following this statement before Jou let out an assenting grumble, his footsteps decisively moving in the other direction and fading from hearing altogether; the vibrations in the floor grew fainter until it got to the point Mai could not feel anything beneath her feet.

_JOU YOU IDIOT._

"Tha' actually worked? Wha' kinda idiot is your friend?" asked Valon, not entirely directing this at her.

Bakura snorted. "Who cares? Wait here with the woman. I'll scout out the area and look for its hoard," he ordered, stepping into the main cavern.

Mai chose this moment to start fighting back. Jou had obviously let her down, so she'd have to fend for herself. Besides, this individual was clearly not going to injure her if she tried to get away; she could tell by the way he was holding her that he was not entirely keen on hurting her, unlike his companion.

"'ey there, now. Take it—ow—easy, lady, I'm not tha' bad," he said when she managed to elbow him in the ribcage. "I don' like 'ittin' ladies, but you're makin' it awful difficult t' hold you any—DON' BLOODY BITE ME."

"Keep it down, imbecile! We don't know if that dragon's out of earshot," snarled Bakura as he came back around the corner, glaring. "I can hear you from outside the caverns."

"She started it!"

"I'll end it. Get her under control."

Valon grumbled as Bakura vanished again, but this time Mai had a different approach to getting loose; her captor would be expecting her to keep fighting him and his grip would become too difficult to escape. Vivian had warned her of as much before, when Mai had been practicing getting free.

So she did the exact opposite. She closed her eyes and simply collapsed, letting her weight sag against Valon's arms.

"Oh f'r the love of—'ey, don' faint on me!"

She felt herself getting laid out on the cavern floor before having her shoulder tentatively shaken. "'ey. C'mon, now, wake up."

Her eyes snapped open and, after locating the kneeling man, drove her foot into his abdomen. Valon had not been expecting this and folded with a startled wheeze, allowing Mai to scramble to her feet and sprint for the entrance. "JOU!"

She made it out back into the main cave, skidding to a halt and looking around her wildly for any sign of either Jou or Bakura—she did not want to bump into that white haired man first. "Jou!" she called again, glancing over her shoulder for any sign of Valon coming after her.

When she turned back it was to find another young man blocking her path, an arrow pointed directly at her. "I'd halt if I were you," he said conversationally, partially hidden in the shadows of a rock column. "Move any further and I find myself having a new archery dummy for practice. I could use it, since a bow and arrow are not my weapons of choice."

She glowered at him but complied, sitting down with a huff. She sat down on top of something hard, though, and it took her a moment before she realized she was on top of the spell book—good. Jou did not have a hoard and the next most valuable thing was that book.

The man stepped out from the shadows, just as young looking as Valon but noticeably different. His skin was darker, tanned by the sun, but his hair was a lighter shade of blonde; lavender eyes were studying her intently and the dark clothing he was wearing helped him meld effortlessly into the shadows. A pair of golden earrings dangled from his ears and a thick golden choker was visible beneath the dark neck of his tunic. "Valon, you were supposed to be watching her," he called, looking above her head but still keeping the arrow nocked.

"She's a fighter," Valon replied from somewhere behind her, half annoyed and half admiring. "She caught me off guard," he continued, limping into view. "'m pretty sure she's bruised a couple o' ribs."

"Uh huh."

"She is, Marik! Don' look at me like tha', you try 'angin' onto 'er!"

"No thanks," said the newly identified Marik wryly. "I'd rather not. I like not being maimed."

"You can point that somewhere else, you know," Mai said, entering the conversation with a sigh. "I don't think I can outrun an arrow."

Marik eyed her before tossing Valon a coil of rope. "Tie her up if she's causing you so much trouble. I'll cover for you while you're restraining her, if necessary."

Valon bent down and caught her by the elbow, but Mai balked. The book was still under her and if she moved they would see it…though there was no guarantee that at least this Marik had not seen it. His position was perfectly placed in front of it, making it at least halfway certain he knew what was there. Still, she had to try. Spell books were just as valuable as gold if one knew where to sell it.

"C'mon, love," Valon coaxed. "Up you go—"

"Look, I'll be a good damsel and stay right where I am. Promise," she said flatly, looking pointedly at Marik. "You can go back to being a gargoyle and I swear not to move. You too," she added, looking up at Valon. "I won't try to escape. No point in trying—I don't know how many of you are here, but I do know I don't want to end up dead."

The two other men glanced at her before Marik lowered his bow and Valon dropped the coil of rope. "We'll hold you to that," said the tanned man calmly. "Move any further than where you are and you'll become a pincushion before you can blink."

"No need to tell me twice," she said in resignation, cupping her chin in her hand.

Marik disappeared into the shadows once again and this time she caught sight of him moving further away, more toward the cavern entrance. This left her alone with Valon, something she was not entirely thrilled with but could manage. He would not harm her if he could help it, she gathered, which made him a fairly decent ally.

Much to her surprise, though, the boy plopped down in front of her and folded his legs, grinning at her brightly. "You've got guts, y'know," he said conversationally. "Not many women we've bumped into before fight back."

"It's a stereotype. Not all women are helpless," she countered. "It's more to our advantage if we play that part. That way, our oppressors foolishly think they have the advantage and make mistakes."

"Like me," Valon finished ruefully, shaking his head. "You got me with tha' faintin' trick. A bloke used that on me in a fight last week and I figured 'is strategy out, but you tricked me with the exact same trick. Must be b'cause you're a lady."

"See? Our advantage is already working," Mai said calmly.

Valon laughed. "Guess so. So, wha's your name?"

"Like I'll tell you?"

"I can tell ya mine, if tha' makes you feel better. 'm Valon."

"I gathered," she said, gesturing in the direction Marik had vanished. "Your friends did not bother creating aliases—that must be because they're strange ones."

"Well, yeah. Forest folk tend to get fun names…though Marik's not from these parts 'n' I'm not from these parts. 'e got away from a slaver 'n' just kinda bumped into us," Valon added as an afterthought. "'e's from a whole 'nother country."

"Probably Enterra," Mai said with a thoughtful frown. "That's the only country I know that has such people in it—the sun is supposed to be more intense in those parts."

"Tha's true, I s'ppose...come t' think of it, I never asked 'im where 'e's from. 'Kura jus' kinda picked 'im up along the way," Valon mused. "Then again, tha's wha' 'e did with me. 'm from the south, more towards Auros."

Ah. Now she understood where Valon's accent originated from.

Her own kingdom was in the small country of Thystia, while Jean Claude's kingdom was in the middle of the larger Chronas. Enterra was a good two week's journey from Thystia, while Auros was an island country located off the coast of Beryl; mountain ranges separated the countries of Metheren, Viernet, and Haurand from the rest of the continent, which meant that their own location had to be somewhere to the east of Chronas, closer to the secluded country of Xhiaoren (and where Vivian's family originated from).

"How on earth did you end up this far away?" she asked after she sorted through the information.

"Traveling caravan," Valon said with a shrug. "Me mum hitched a ride when one came through 'er neck of the woods 'n' I've been wanderin' since."

He shrugged again, rolling his shoulders and stretching his arms. "Not too bad stickin' 'round 'Kura, though," he said with a look that clearly indicated otherwise. "I could do worse."

"You don't like him, do you?" she asked wryly.

"Don' let 'im hear you say that," muttered the other man, glancing around furtively. "'e don' like me any and the on'y reason he's keepin' me around is 'cause there's not too many of 'is band left. 'm a lousy thief when it all boils down to it. 'm too noisy f'r 'is tastes."

Thief.

Mai sat up straighter, suddenly uncomfortable. That was where she had heard Bakura's name before. "Wait a minute…Bakura the Thief King? The same Bakura who's been causing all sorts of mayhem for the other kingdoms, by robbing their caravans and castles?"

"Yup. The self-proclaimed King 'imself," Valon announced with obvious sarcasm. "'e prefers robbin' tombs, old castles, and crypts, though. I's more of a challenge f'r 'im."

"That's a bit…morbid," Mai commented with a grimace.

A laugh came from the shadows. "That's your take on it. What good are riches to the dead?"

"How about the desecrating a final resting place?" she countered, looking for Marik. She couldn't see him but that laugh was unmistakable and given the fact Bakura was still wandering the caves it was a safe bet to assume it was Marik. "You are an Enterran, right? Your people believe that disturbing remains disturbs those in the afterlife, disrupting their souls…or something like that."

A low hum was her response. "Educated on Enterra, are we?" he asked, suddenly coming into view on the left side of the cave entrance. "You would be correct. I, however, hold little stock to those beliefs—frankly, they're outdated and I have no desire to be bound to traditions that have no bearing on me."

"Which is lucky for me, as he has better knowledge on Enterran tomb structures and the traps within them," said Bakura irritably as he stomped into view, startling her. She had not even seen him come in.

"Did you find anything?" asked Marik, leaning against the wall.

"Lots of empty satellite caves and one filled with furs, but no sign of a hoard," replied Bakura. "The dragon must be hiding it deeper in the cave."

Mai frowned. Jou had mentioned he didn't have a hoard, hadn't he? No, wait, he'd _implied_ that he had no hoard, but she'd never directly gotten an answer from him on the matter. Dragons had troves of treasures to guard, but Jou had said he was human; he would not have the instinct to hang on to objects obsessively, would he? Then again, Bakura had found one cave filled with nothing but animal furs…did that mean that he might have gold hidden in one of the caves somewhere?

She had not realized that the conversation had been continuing without her, though she'd heard them talking as she had been mulling over the information, but then she came back to the present when Marik said, "Perhaps the woman knows something about the hoard or this cave system. She was calling someone's name earlier, when she got loose."

She looked up as Bakura squatted down next to her, his eyes locked into hers; she wanted to look anywhere but at him, yet at the same time she found it impossible to do so. "So then. You know our friend the dragon," he said. "Mind telling me where its hoard is?"

Mai lifted her chin. "I don't know if he has one," she said primly.

"What sort of fools do you take us for?" asked Bakura calmly, though his jaw tightened. "All dragons have a treasure to guard."

"As far as I know this one doesn't," she insisted, not entirely liking the expression on the thief's face. "Jou does not ever bring out gold or the like when I'm around."

Bakura's eyes narrowed and he watched her with a glare. Mai swallowed but kept eye contact, trying her hardest not to blink or look away; she strongly suspected that if she did it would only convince the thief that she was lying (which she wasn't) and she did not want to see what would happen if Bakura got that impression.

At length he leaned back. "It seems she is telling a partial truth," he sighed. "It would take days to search the caves. We do not have that sort of time—that dragon could be back any minute."

_Thank the Lord. _"So you'll be leaving then? The exit is that way," Mai declared pointedly, gesturing to the cave entrance Jou disappeared from. "Have a nice day."

Bakura shot her a feral grin that honestly made her recoil. "Not so fast, my dear," he said. "You see, if the dragon does have a hoard it would be more than willing to ransom it for you…besides, there's a castle two days from here that sent out a notice about a missing princess. Your uncalloused hands tell me that you've never picked up a thing in your life, you have almost no tan at all, and your accent betrays you—I am aware that a princess from Thystia is in this region at the moment."

She froze. The last thing her parents needed to deal with was a ransom demand; the resources had been poor as of late and there was no money to spare from the treasury. Jean Claude would likely pay up the ransom, but then again he might choose to save her himself rather than pay money—he seemed like the bold, gallant type, which would likely get her into deeper trouble.

"What makes you think I am the princess?" she retorted at last, folding her arms over her chest. "You honestly believe I would voluntarily subject myself to these conditions? Yes, I am from Thystia and yes, I was raised in the palace, but that does not make me royalty!"

"Oh it does," said Bakura pleasantly, looking smug. "You see the message from the kingdom specified that a princess had been taken from the castle. Why else would a lady in waiting from Thystia be out in the wilderness, in a dragon's cave no less? Besides, your little conversation with Marik and Valon has provided me with clues that assure me you're royalty, though I must say it's a clever touch to dress like a peasant."

She withheld her flinch. So the conversation with Valon had been a lure to determine her identity; the knowledge about Enterran customs was generally available only to those who would be in direct contact with the country—royalty topped the list. She glared at Valon furiously, who looked far too innocent. "Wha' can I say, love?" he asked playfully. "I's 'ow we figure out wha' t' do with 'ostages. You should be thankin' me."

"Oh yeah, and why's that?" she asked irritably, angry that she had been tricked.

"Had you been useless we would have disposed of you accordingly," retorted Bakura flatly. "We've got no use for useless hostages, you know. More mouths to feed and more people to look after—and I've got my hands full already with the crew I've got."

_…Disposed of…? _Oh dear God, what sort of people had she gotten mixed up with?

"Well. It's obvious that we are not going to find the hoard in the next few minutes and not one of us knows where it is excepting the woman. I say we try and ransom her off, either to the castle or to the dragon," said Marik. "In either instance we have an effective hostage."

"And you think you're getting me out of here without a fight?" asked Mai, her heart starting to pound. If they discovered the spell book…she moved her hands slowly to the seat of her skirt, the back of her palms pressing into the edges of the book. Too late, however, she realized that by doing so she had just indicated there was something of value beneath her.

Luckily, not one of the three thieves had noticed her move and she watched them, formulating a quick plan. She needed to leave Jou a message and she needed to hide the book before they noticed her trying to escape. Carefully she pulled the book into her hands and started scooting back along the floor with the book behind her back, heading for a nearby cavern wall in hopes that she could—

She bumped into someone from behind and she heard a startled yelp before someone tumbled on top of her, knocking them into the cauldron where the deer stew had been made last night.

Bakura's head snapped toward them and he cursed under his breath, hauling the individual who was on top of her to his feet (and allowing her to hide the book beneath the cauldron while they were all preoccupied). "For the love of…Ryou, I told you to stay by the main entrance!" snapped Bakura irritably.

"Terribly sorry," said the other boy, clearly flustered. "You're normally not gone so long and there was something I needed to talk to you lot about when I bumped into her—and I'm sorry for that, by the way," he added, dipping his head to acknowledge Mai.

Mai blinked as her eyes landed on him and she took in his appearance. She was looking at a nearly identical version of Bakura, with similar colored clothing to match, but she could tell the difference between them straight away. Bakura's features were sharp and his eyes were narrower, but this man's features were slightly softer and his eyes were larger; his hair was also white, though it was pulled back into a ponytail and not hidden at all. The colors of their eyes were the most noticeably different aspect between the two of them—Bakura's were an almost blood red, but this new person's eyes were brown.

"Don't apologize to the hostage, Ryou. We're supposed to invoke fear in our victims, not ask if they want tea," growled Bakura irritably.

"I never asked her that," replied Ryou calmly. "I only checked to make certain I did not hurt her."

"You said you came down t' check on us?" asked Valon, getting back onto his feet and tilting his head curiously.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you something. Bakura, you said that I was to keep an eye on the dragon once it left through the main entrance, right?"

"What about it?" asked Marik, frowning.

"The dragon doesn't have a back entrance to this cave to go out of, does it? You put me at the entrance up by the volcano but I never saw the dragon come through."

"…What does that mean?"

Mai heard it first, coming from a large crevice in the wall behind her that she had not noticed before, and she squinted; something was breathing and it sounded far too big to be human. She frowned; she'd learned on her first day that was nothing but a dead end, a passageway that was blocked off at the end, so what...?

And then she understood. Jou was _not_ a complete idiot after all.

Bakura seemed to have realized what it meant and grabbed Ryou by the elbow. "It means, Marik, that the bloody thing never left!" he snarled, dragging him away from Mai.

At the same moment the wall behind them exploded and Jou burst into view, his roar echoing through the cave.

As the pieces of the wall began falling around her someone barreled into her and shoved her to the floor, placing an arm over her head protectively. "Down, sweetheart!" Valon said sharply, covering her with his body to protect her from the falling rubble.

In the next second, however, Valon yelped as he was lifted off of her and tossed to the other side of the cave, tumbling into Ryou. Jou's tail curled around her and lifted her into the air, placing her behind him; Jou turned his head and let out a worried sounding rumble, examining her briefly.

"Tell me you weren't fooled by that lame attempt to sound like me," she said, arching an eyebrow up at him. "Because if you were..."

Jou looked insulted, an indignant snarl answering her question.

"Okay, just checking. Glad to see you aren't that hopeless."

Jou glared at her but his head snapped up as an arrow whizzed through the air. The dragon snarled, whipping his tail around and deflecting the arrow; it bounced harmlessly off its armor, but Mai spotted a blur of movement hurtling toward Jou and she shouted, "Watch out!"

Marik had shot an arrow to act as a distraction while Bakura had sprinted for the dragon. By the time Jou had realized what had happened and turned his attention to the thief the man had managed to climb onto Jou's back, a curved sword glittering in the sunlight. Glowing runes began traveling down the blade and Mai realized too late that it was something that could seriously harm Jou.

The dragon seemed to understand it as well, though he could not see Bakura as well, and his head whipped back to bite at Bakura. The thief dodged it and slashed Jou's back, the blade cutting deeply into him; blood spattered onto Bakura's face and clothes and Jou let out a roar of pain as the wound began glowing with a sinister red light.

"Stole this a while ago from a noble's grave to the north. Isn't it handy?" asked Bakura, grinning wickedly as he hit the floor. "An enchanted blade is quite useful when dealing with a dragon…its name means 'Dragon's Bane' for a reason, you know."

Jou keened in pain, whining as the glow traveled through the scales surrounding the cut. He snarled once more and snapped at Bakura, missing by a few inches; it was a decisively weakened snarl, however, and the glow was reaching up Jou's neck by now.

Mai stared in horror before looking around her frantically for something to use as a weapon. Finding nothing but the cauldron, she grabbed it by the handles and—after a few attempts to lift it—swung it around her in an arc before releasing it in Bakura's general direction.

The thief dodged it narrowly but it was a distraction nonetheless and this time Jou's tail swung into the man, propelling him away from both himself and Mai; Bakura flipped through the air and landed on his feet nimbly, his sword securely held in his hands.

Two pairs of hands grabbed Mai from behind and a quick look over her shoulder confirmed that they belonged to Valon and Marik. "Get off me!" she snarled, kicking and struggling in his grip.

"Sorry, love, but this's 'bout to get ugly 'n' 'Kura ordered us t' get a hold of you," replied Valon, helping Marik drag her over to where Ryou was crouching in cover.

An alarmed roar sounded and Jou made an effort to go to her, but Bakura moved in the way and cut another deep gash into Jou's left arm. The eerie red glow traveled almost immediately up Jou's arm, prompting another wail of pain from the dragon.

"Jou!" she called desperately, struggling. "Get _off _me, let me go!_ STOP_!"

The dragon roared in agitation, thrashing in pain as the glow started engulfing him. His tail hit the wall and dislodged a few stray boulders at the top of the cave; Bakura dodged them easily enough and moved in to try and slash at Jou, but the dragon moved back onto its haunches and roared once again.

Jou, however, was thrashing around too much and his tail crashed into the wall, knocking it into rubble. Mai had a three second impression of stone descending on her before a sharp pain ignited in the side of her skull and the world turned into darkness.


	10. Ryou's Warning

I know this is early (and that I'm not writing this in italics - le gasp), but on Friday I'll be too busy to upload and therefore I'm going to go ahead and upload it now.

There's a concept in here that, to be honest, I'm not sure I explained properly (and you'll know it when you see it). If you're confused about it or have something to add to it PLEASE go ahead and let me know - it's an important concept and I'm not sure I did it justice, and I've spent a couple days pulling my hair out trying to figure out if I got it down right.

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed and followed along so far and I hope you enjoy this (early) update!

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><p><em>She had stormed off into the maze after her mother had scolded her about the rip in her new dress. Honestly, the thirteen year old had said multiple times that it had not been her fault that the dress had ended up torn—the dogs had been playing and they'd mistaken her dress for a chew toy, but that was no reason for her mother to slap her and call her a spoiled child who didn't care about anything made for her.<em>

_Anyway, she had ended up lost in the castle's outdoor maze and the sun had started to set when she finally stopped walking, sinking to her knees and struggling not to cry; she'd been slapped and yelled at, and now she was lost too. She'd wandered the shrubbery lined paths until her feet ached, but she had not been able to find the exit again and she had ended up horribly lost. It was starting to get colder and she was so horribly lost…_

_"Hey. You aren't going to cry, are you?"_

_The boy's voice had startled her out of her miserable reverie, prompting her to look around wildly. _

_"It's okay," he continued, stepping out from around the corner. The sun was at his back, casting his features into shadow, but Mai still recognized him—he was a visiting prince from some kingdom. Mai could not remember where, since she had ignored her parents during their conversations. "You can always cut through the walls. That's what I do when I get lost in these things."_

_Mai stared, sniffling. "But that's cheating."_

_He looked back at her in surprise before he laughed. "Well, you could say it is. But I always find the direct approach to be the best one if you end up lost," he said, holding a hand out to her. "C'mon. I'll help you get back."_

_She nodded mutely, taking his hand and letting him pull her to her feet. _

_"See? Not so hard, right?" he asked brightly. He began leading her forward. "Don't worry. We'll be out of here in a bit."_

_"…What's your name?"_

_He paused before grinning widely at her and opened his mouth to reply._

Mai groaned as her head throbbed, opening her eyes slowly and squinting against the dim firelight. A face came into view, one with large brown eyes and framed by white hair. "Where…?"

"Oh good, you're awake," said Ryou gently. "That's good news, indeed. I was afraid you were hurt worse than I'd initially thought when you wouldn't wake up."

Mai stared up at him for a moment, her vision blurring, before the events from before flashed in her memory. The images were faded and non-distinct, but one figure stood out prominently against the murmur of past voices in her memory.

_Jou._

She sat up abruptly, the blankets falling off of her as her vision spun and dipped, but she forced herself to her feet in spite of her current condition and tottered forward a few steps.

"Highness, you musn't!" Ryou said urgently, catching her by the elbow when she buckled. "You've hit your head and you've got a concussion, moving around too fast will only make it worse."

"Let go of me!" she snapped, trying not to let the vertigo affect her. "Jou's hurt! I've got to—"

"You won' 'elp anyone runnin' 'round like tha'," said a familiar voice, and before Mai realized it Valon had picked her up and was carrying her back to her previous resting place. "Take it easy, love."

Mai let him put her back down, her head aching too much to slap Valon. Ryou had been right—she had moved too fast and now she felt nauseous. She would have to let her stomach settle before she tried getting to her feet.

She looked around, trying to get a bearing on her settings. She was not at the cave anymore, from what she could tell; furs lined the walls around her, but she could still catch glimpses of sunlight through the canvas walls. That meant she was in some kind of tent, but besides the empty crates, the small cauldron on the fire that Ryou was tending to, and the cot she lay on there was nothing else to tell her about this new place. "Where am I?" she asked, lifting a shaky hand to investigate the injury to her head. It was underneath what felt like bandages, so she had no idea how severe it was.

"You're at what's left of one of our lairs," said Ryou idly as he stirred something in the pot. "You've been out of it for a couple days, so we brought you here rather than try to ransom you off right away."

"Tha's right," Valon said brightly, sitting on the edge of her bed. "We brought ya 'ere 'cause it was closest t' tha' cave you were at…not t' mention we were pretty banged up. The cave kinda sorta collapsed on us," he finished with a wry laugh. Mai noticed the sling his right arm was in and wondered how he had picked her up to begin with.

"Yes, yes, now get out so I can tend to our guest," said Ryou as he stirred the pot some more. "She's got quite the headache to deal with and I've still got to look at your arm. I'm going to need to focus."

Mai blinked. Focus on what?

Valon grinned but hopped to his feet. "I gotcha. Technically I've got some errands 'Kura wants me t' run anyway while 'e's gone."

"He's gone?" repeated Mai in surprise.

"That's entirely normal," Ryou replied absently, eyeing the contents of the cauldron with an expert eye. "I wouldn't be surprised if he comes back late, actually."

When he noticed Mai looking at him with a baffled gaze he sighed. "Bakura's always liked doing things on his own and it's only been a recent thing that he's brought us along," he said, handing Mai a steaming wooden cup. "Here, have this. A bit of blackflower tea will take the bite out of the headache you've got."

Mai accepted it gratefully and took a sip out of it, relaxing as the pounding in her head eased. "Thank you," she said gratefully, humming in contentment as her vision cleared. "I already feel a lot better."

Ryou's features lit up instantly. "That's good," he said cheerfully. "You'll feel better in a bit, but just to be sure…"

Mai looked up as he murmured something under his breath and her breath caught when the fire turned a shade of green before fading. A small cloud of golden smoke lifted out of the pot. "You…you're a wizard?" she stammered, surprised.

Ryou laughed. "Oh no, not quite," he said as he wandered back to the fire. "My mother was a gypsy and her forte was more with potions and talismans than actual magic. She used to tell fortunes and mixed medicinal potions for mild injuries, and at one point she ran a traveling apothecary. I inherited her talent but I'm afraid it's not as strong as hers was."

He carefully pulled the cauldron off the fire and moved back over to her with it in hand. "You've got a nasty cut here on the side of your head and a bump to go with it. This'll help," he explained, dipping a hand into the cauldron. His fingertips were coated with a golden substance and he carefully undid the bandage around her head with a free hand. "Sit still. Don't worry about your hair," he added. "It doesn't leave much of a residue and if you're really worried there's a spring not too far from here."

"Did your brother inherit magic too?" she asked, wincing as the salve hit her scalp. A pleasant tickling sensation, similar to the one the healing spring generated, spread through her head and eliminated most of the throbbing almost immediately.

Ryou looked somewhat amused. "Bakura's not entirely related to me, believe it or not," he said, studying the injury intently to make certain it was healing properly. "It's a very long and complicated story, trust me."

"…O…kay…wait, you said we were at one of your camps. What did you mean by 'what was left'?"

"We've had a spot of trouble over the past couple of months," said Marik as he poked his head inside. "Bakura left me with the Dragon's Bane, by the way, so we've got that. He said he'll be back in a day or so and not to move camp unless things get truly dire. Then we're to go to the tree camps."

Dragon's Bane…the sword that had hurt Jou so terribly…she glared at Marik, most of her hostility channeled to the sword at his side. The Enterran blinked when he noticed her and sighed. "Oh joy, she's awake."

"Why do you guys even have that sword?" she asked. Ryou leaned back with a satisfied sigh and she lifted a hand to investigate the injury; although she could hardly tell it was there she could still feel the mar of the cut she'd sustained on the left side of her scalp. "You're thieves, not dragon slayers."

Ryou, who had been toweling his hands off after dipping them in a bucket of water, glanced over at her. "Most of our problems lately have to do with dragons. That was why I was partially against the idea of raiding a dragon's hoard to begin with, but Bakura's never been one to listen when he's on a mission," he said tiredly.

"See, we've been on the run f'r a while from the dragons," said Valon, also reappearing in the tent. He padded over and flopped onto the foot of her cot. "Normally we're left alone 'cause we don' steal from a dragon 'oard. They're right touchy if you take somethin' of theirs and...let's jus' say that the dragon's 'round these parts are not ones t' mess with."

"They can sleep for nearly two hundred years and not even twitch in their sleep if you kick them, but take one measly coin from their trove and they come after you with everything they have," Marik said, sitting down on an overturned crate and sharpening a stick with a curved dagger.

"So then why steal from Jou?" she countered. "You obviously know what they can do, so why risk causing so much chaos?"

"Because we're certain that black dragon is the source of the other dragon's acting up," replied Marik, looking up at her from under his bangs. "Normally we get along great with the dragons in these parts. We avoid them, they avoid us, everyone's happy. Lately, though, they so much as think we're in their vicinity and bam. We get blasted to oblivion."

"That doesn't mean Jou has something to do with it. You're leaping to conclusions, aren't you?" asked Mai, frowning. Jou had not mentioned anything about there being other dragons when she had spoken with him—then again, she had not asked about it. Had Jou done something to anger them?

"Tha's the thing, love," said Valon, leaning back on his good arm gingerly as he looked over at her. "We don' know what's set them off. Their master's a right pain in the arse t' begin with 'n' lately we can' even take a baby step into their terri'try. All we know is that not too long after we spotted that black fella—Jou?—flyin' around the dragons started acting up. We figured if we got it t' leave the problems would stop…though maybe killin' 'im might 'ave been a better option."

A sense of dread gripped her. She had no idea if Jou was alive or not; the last she had seen of him he had been in pain and had been wounded terribly, and for all she knew maybe he was dead. Perhaps they had left him alive and he'd made it to the healing spring…but would the water work on the cuts? The spring had worked for Jou when he'd been attacked by Jean Claude's sword, but maybe wounds from a sword called Dragon's Bane would not heal at all.

Mainly to diffuse her panic (and also because the thieves could not afford to know how much this new information upset her) she swallowed and met their gazes. "You can ask their supposed master what's wrong," she countered. "It's better than blindly lashing out at a dragon who's done nothing to harm you."

Marik laughed, the sound bitter and hollow. "We've tried to talk. Messengers, hawks, pigeons, smoke signals even. Nothing worked—he's even mad at Yugi and he's never brought harm to anyone."

Mai wondered if she should ask about this Yugi but shrugged it off. The way things were going she would find out sooner or later who that was, so she filed the name away instead. "What's to become of me?"

The three men exchanged glances. "To be honest," began Ryou with a frown, "I don't know. Bakura was the one who said to bring you along. Whatever his intentions are involving you are known only to him."

"You aren't going to tie me up and leave me in here, are you?" she asked, folding her arms and looking at Marik (who looked as if he might). "You don't need to go that far. I'm not blindly running around in dragon country, boys."

Valon shook his head before anyone else could say anything. "Naw. We don' 'ave enough rope t' truss you up. Looks like you'll wander around."

Marik scowled. "You aren't supposed to tell her that, you know," he said, though there was more exasperation to it than anything else. "She'll think she'll have the advantage and then where will that leave us?"

He cleared his throat and looked to Mai with a raised eyebrow. After another glance at Valon he sighed and said, "We're a little short-handed these days because of the casualties from the dragon attacks. You can wander the camp and the immediate area around it, but don't think that means you can escape. If you run I _will_ shoot you down—you won't die, but you won't be able to run either."

"No worries, chum!" the brown-haired man chirped, laying an arm around Mai's shoulders. "I'll keep an eye on her!"

Mai's face twisted and she elbowed him roughly, earning a yelp from behind her and an amused grin from Marik. She shot forward and gained her feet, planting her hands on her hips and glaring at him; the vertigo she'd felt earlier was entirely gone."Touch me again and you won't have hands to grab me with."

Ryou tried his best not to look amused. "Well, then, Valon, it seems I have to look at another injury. You don't have to stick around, Highness," he said as he moved over to the cot. "I've got to take a look at his arm anyways. He won't be able to move until I'm done and it will take some time to deal with it."

"I broke it," Valon announced cheerfully. "Tha' dragon friend of yours knocked me into the wall right after you fainted."

"I didn't faint, nimrod," she snapped. "I got hit in the head, in case you missed that. Ryou, right?"

"Yes?"

"That spring you were talking about. Where is it from here?"

"Take a left out of here and go through the break in the trees. The river is right there," said Ryou as he eyed the wounded arm (Mai could see where the bone had gone through the skin and she repressed a shudder). "Warn Marik before you go, though, or he'll think you're trying to escape."

She took a step to the tent entrance and poked her head out of it. The tent was situated on the underside of a rock cropping, sticking out enough to be seen but deep enough under the outcrop to prevent it from being seen from above; the top of the tent had been carefully covered by tree branches and miscellaneous foliage; when she looked to the other side she noticed a fire pit, where Marik was continuing to whittle at the stick. Beyond the tent was a small clearing that was shaded by the trees and she could see the break Ryou had described; the forest floor was a medley of moss covered rocks, long grasses and flowers, and two horses stabled beneath the cover of a lean-to stable.

"Can…can you heal broken bones?" she asked in spite of herself, turning back to look at where Valon was sitting.

Ryou shrugged. "It depends on the fracture. Potions and herbal teas don't always help injuries, but this one might be able to set properly with the correct potion," he replied before he began mumbling, going back over by the cauldron and sifting through a chest idly. "Let's see, poppy extract to take away the pain, dandelion milk to coat the palate…"

Valon looked over at her. "Ryou's not gonna be much of a talker f'r a while," he said with an amused grin. "Go on, love, I'll catch up later."

"Stop calling me that. It's getting old and you're being far too forward," she snapped indignantly.

"I'd stop if I knew your name. Fair trade, right?" he responded, laughing when he noticed her flustered expression.

"The only thing that will get you is a slapped face."

"Better than nothin'. With a pretty lady like you, I'd take whatever you hand me."

Mai huffed and whirled on her heel, storming outside and trying her best to ignore the good-natured laughter behind her.

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><p>Bakura drew back the reins of the horse and studied the castle intently, his eyes traveling the battlements carefully. Security had definitely doubled since he'd passed through these parts, he thought as he eyed them critically; night had fallen and it was a bit more difficult to see what was going on, but he could see the outline of the soldiers as they passed along the wall.<p>

The intention to ransom the princess back to her dragon had been more of Marik's suggestion and had been a new development in his plan to get rid of the dragon problem facing them; originally his intentions were to eliminate the black dragon and collect its hoard, also saving the lives of his men (but that was more for Ryou's benefit, not his), but without knowing where the hoard was the woman would prove to be a valuable asset. If she could be used to bargain with the dragon to gain its treasures he'd hang onto her—for now.

The cave collapsing, however, had not been planned. He had not anticipated the amount of power behind the sword he'd stolen and the dragon had leveled the cave entirely; they'd been lucky to escape but now he had no idea if the dragon had survived or not. The wounds it had received, coupled with the stone it was buried under, certainly made it difficult to come out of alive.

This did not trouble him. Dead or not he could probably find its hoard. It would have to hide its treasures near its cave, no dragon would abandon it in a secluded place where it could be easily accessed.

In turn he could now use the woman for something else—such as ransoming her back to the kingdom she had been taken from.

He frowned, patting the horse's neck idly as he looked at the stone walls. Normally he would already be sneaking inside to deliver the letter and the demands within it, but the security had changed and now there was a man at every other segment of the battlement and mounted riders patrolling the perimeter of the walls. He could pretend to be a palace messenger from another kingdom and gain access that way, but he'd robbed this castle before and he'd used a similar method to get in last time; he would not be able to sneak in without being seen. He could get caught and give his message that way, but he was recognizable and they would likely ransom _him_ instead of the other way around. Besides, his pride would not stand letting him get caught.

He could not use his preferred method of causing chaos and using the distraction to sneak inside, either. Normally his men would raid the nearby village and deplete the castle of the guards, allowing Bakura to go in without being detected and without encountering too much resistance; thanks to all the dragon attacks, however, most of his men had either been killed or had run like pathetic cowards. Marik and Ryou were among the small handful who were left of his gang; he'd strategically placed the others at the other lairs unless he summoned them. Until this mess with the dragons blew over they would have to lay low.

He paused and looked at the wooden gates before reaching behind him for the bow and arrows. The guards would see him when he got close to the gates and the mounted ones would come after him, certainly…but he was always up for a chase.

No one had ever caught the Thief King before and it would stay that way.

* * *

><p>Marik rolled his eyes and stirred the fire, adding more wood to the blaze. Night had fallen on their camp and the cold had settled in, prompting them to make a fire. "I did try to warn you about doing that, Valon," he said wryly, shaking his head in exasperation when Valon sat down on the other end of the log. "I warned you she'd gone to the river to bathe, but oh no. You <em>had<em> to try and steal a peek, didn't you? And now you've got a black eye. Congratulations."

"At least my arm's all better. I keep tellin' you I didn' do it on purpose. I didn' know she'd be naked back there," he responded grumpily, rubbing at his still-swollen cheek.

The Enterran arched an eyebrow.

"I didn'! I've got my standards, y'know!" replied Valon, looking both annoyed and flustered. "Sure I figured she'd be somewhat unclothed, but I didn't think I'd catch 'er comin' outta the water!"

He rubbed his cheek again, wincing. "I didn' expect 'er to punch me, though."

"You deserved it," Mai grumbled as she came over to sit by the fire as well, though she made certain she was a good distance away from Valon. "You knew exactly what I was doing back there."

"No! Okay, yes…but still, I didn' do it on purpose!"

Mai huffed and folded her arms across her chest, turning her back on the other men. "I find _that _hard to believe."

Ryou chuckled as he started dishing up the rabbit stew. "Oh trust me. Valon tends to get in all sorts of trouble without trying," he said, handing Mai one of the wooden bowls. "Marik, I've got a vegetable broth brewing in the tent if you want some. Found some lentils the other day at a peddler's post and managed to garner some."

Marik perked up and instantly headed for the tent, humming idly as he passed them. Mai watched him go and looked to Ryou with a questioning look. "Vegetable broth? That's because he's Enterran, isn't it?"

"They certainly educate you on other cultures at the palace, don't they? Yes, that has a good deal to do with his vegetarian diet—he'll eat anything but meat," said Ryou as he handed Valon a bowl. "We learned that the hard way."

Mai took a spoonful of the stew and smiled in spite of herself. Ryou had added some spices she had not been familiar with but they had brought out the various flavors of the meat and the herbs he'd thrown in. "I'll bet. What, did you feed him some by accident?"

"Naw. I accidentally killed a sparrow when I was tossin' rocks around once—eh, Marik wasn' too 'appy about that, especially when I offered t' cook up Tweetums f'r tha' nights dinner," Valon explained nonchalantly, grinning at Mai's half-affronted expression. "'ey, if you catch things 'round 'ere best eat it. Traps aren' enough sometimes."

"Logic of the forest folk," Ryou said sagely.

"More like logic from the mouths of babes," called Marik irritably from where he was inside the tent. "You didn't have to offer to cook it, you know!"

"Food's food, chum! Meat's good f'r ya!"

"Are you kidding me? Meat spoils, it's hard to dry and take with you on travels, and you never know if it's diseased!"

"Veggies rot too, y'know!"

"They don't smell!"

"They mold instead and turn all mushy!"

Mai looked over to the white-haired man with raised eyebrows. "This isn't the first time that they've had this argument," she guessed.

Ryou nodded. "They have some form of this argument whenever Valon brings back something he catches. It's all in good humor, though—we've long since passed the stage where they'd whip out knives, swords, and the like."

Mai had no idea how to reply to that last part, so she settled for saying, "They're friends, huh?"

Ryou watched Valon as he bounded over to the tent and held the bowl of stew temptingly in front of the opening. "Sort of. You know, Valon is not a part of Bakura's band of thieves."

Mai shot a surprised look at him. "He's not?"

"No," replied Ryou, looking amused. "He showed up one day at one of our camps and has tagged along since. He lives somewhere in the forest, if I'm not much mistaken. We're usually traveling around to different locations but Valon stays around us whenever we come to this area. He told me once that he used to have friends in other parts of the forest that he spent a good deal of time with, but—"

There was a startled yelp and they both looked to the tent. Valon had been knocked over by what appeared to be a boot, his bowl of stew upended over his fluffy hair. Marik padded out moments later and retrieved his boot, smirking before disappearing back inside the tent.

The brown haired teenager stared indignantly before he sprang to his feet and followed after Marik. "Oh no you don', you're not gettin' away with that!"

"I just did, Valon, no use in—_get that rabbit meat away from me!_"

Ryou shook his head wearily. "If they think for one minute that I'm going to make them more food they're sadly mistaken," he said, making a face. He watched the tent for a moment longer before reaching into the knapsack at his feet. "However, we are alone at the moment and it gives me the perfect chance to ask you something, Highness."

Mai turned in time to watch him pull out a thick leather bound book—one she was all too familiar with. It was the spell book that Jou had given her to look over, the one she thought was buried under a pile of rubble; she had forgotten about it in light of recent events. "How did you…?" she began, taking the book and clutching it to her chest.

"I may not be a thief or have instincts of one, but I know when something's important if you're hiding it under a cauldron," he said. Mai suddenly realized that Ryou must have seen what she was doing when he'd tripped over her. "I went back for it during the collapse and got it in time. Bakura yelled at me for it, but it could not be helped—I was curious."

He leveled a serious frown at her and looked over his shoulder at the tent behind him before he said in a low voice, "I don't know what sort of intentions you have with that book, but I sincerely hope you aren't trying to perform one of these spells."

"I don't practice magic," she replied quietly, also keeping an ear out on the tent next to the fire. "Jou needed me to look through this book for a counterspell. He himself was cursed."

"As interesting as that concept is, why kidnap a princess instead of a sorceress?" Ryou inquired skeptically. "You do understand that dragons are known for their intelligence. Perhaps this one is tricking you into finding a spell for it."

Mai thought about the conversation she'd had with Jou, coupled with what she had seen when he'd transformed back into a human. "I don't think he is trying to trick me," she said slowly, suddenly doubtful. Her gaze shifted to the book on her lap and she traced the cover idly. What if Jou was an evil sorcerer that had been cursed for mankind's benefit? She had not thought of that before but it did make an odd amount of sense.

Mai gazed at the book a moment longer before she looked back up at Ryou. "Are you a member of the wizarding council?" she asked.

A dry laugh was her response. "I hold company with a band of thieves. It doesn't much matter what branch of magic you dabble in. If you want to join the council they have to have your name, and when they get it they put a tracking spell on it to find you at any given time," he explained. "Bakura would have a complete hissy fit if I was registered, especially if one wizard was hired to track him down after a robbery. No need to worry that I'll report you or this book to them."

"Do you know anyone who could read the languages in here?" she asked, holding the book out. "There are some that I have no idea what they are, even as educated as I am."

Ryou took it from her reluctantly and carefully opened the book, grimacing when the crackle of green electricity sparked up from the pages; he waited until it had settled before perusing it. He flipped through the book and studied the text silently, a half grimace visible on his features; the only noise that broke the silence was coming from the tent, where Marik and Valon were currently debating about the benefits of having a meat-free diet. He made odd sounds and murmured every now and then, but his comments were more to himself then addressed to her.

At last he looked up, closing the book with a snap and handing it to her. "You're having a hard time translating a couple of these languages because they're archaic—ones that haven't been used in thousands of years. One is an older form of Enterran and Marik might know how to read it, but then again it's an archaic language so he may not know. The other is one that, to be honest, I've never seen before."

"Do you know someone who has?" she asked. "Look, I promised Jou I'd help him find the counterspell. I know that you likely don't approve of this and I'm not asking you to, but I need someone to help me with this," she continued boldly, lifting her chin when Ryou looked at her doubtfully. "I gave him my word and a princess does not renege on such things, regardless of what she may have to do."

Ryou opened his mouth to reply but was cut off when Valon tore out of the tent with a laugh. "Watch out!" he called, disappearing into the surrounding woods. "Marik's on the war path!"

Seconds later an arrow whizzed after Valon's retreating form and Marik stormed out of the tent, looking thoroughly outraged. "You better run!" he shouted, shooting another arrow after him. "How _dare_ you put rabbit meat in my vegetable broth, you Aurosian heathen!"

The tense mood was broken between them and Ryou relaxed as he watched Marik chase after Valon in the shadows of the trees. "I don't doubt that you have noble intentions with that book, but what you're dealing with…if you are not careful you'll have to deal with the repercussions of meddling with it."

The haunted way he had spoken, coupled with the knowledgeable look in his eyes, told her that he was refraining from admitting something—he knew something she did not. "What aren't you telling me?" she asked suspiciously.

Ryou gazed into the fire for a long moment before shifting his gaze to his folded hands; his hair fell over his face and Mai honestly believed that she would not get an answer.

When he finally spoke, however, it was quiet and Mai had to strain to hear him. "The reason I'm so reluctant about letting you keep this is because of what it is. I may not be an expert on spell-casting, but even I know when I'm looking at a book connected to the Dark Arts."

Mai's stomach rolled and she felt the chill creeping up her spine, one that not even the fire could warm.

The magic of any capable sorcerer or sorceress was gathered in a core, where most of their ability lay and where their soul could strengthen the potency of their spells. Magic was inherently light and the core of the wielder almost always could not be corrupted; magic could be used for evil intentions, yes, but the core could not become good or evil based on human actions. It remained pure for all intentions.

Unless the wielder chose to utilize the Dark Arts.

She had heard the stories of perfectly sane sorcerers and sorceresses who had gone mad because the core of their magic had been irreversibly corrupted, after they had used a spell steeped in the Dark Arts. Having such a dark influence taint their core inflicted permanent damage on the wielder and the damage only increased every time it was used, until all that remained was an insane version of their former selves. Eventually these poor wretches became Shadows, creatures that only mildly resembled humans and supposedly lived in a realm filled with other poor souls who had succumbed to the darkness.

There were those who managed to survive the damage sustained by using dark magic. Somehow they managed to overcome the horrific side effect generated by using such an inherently evil spell and regained some semblance of their sanity. They who were lucky enough to live through the corrupting and foul influence of the spells, however, paid a terrible price—their cores permanently remained twisted and their magic was linked to the realm of the Shadows, inherently a double-edged sword every time it was wielded.

They became a Shadow User.

That was not even the worst of the depths that the Dark Arts could go. If someone tried to use Shadow magic without having a core they instantly became a Shadow. Then there were the rumors about a form of dark magic to the north that, though not as damaging as Shadow Users could utilize, was just as potent in corrupting the souls of the magic wielder; the one difference between the two was that this newer form could affect both sorcerers and innocent civilians who had never even heard of magic.

She'd seen what these evil spells could do. She had seen the horrific hexes cast on travelers that had come to her castle appealing for help, heard of the nastier spells that could change people into monsters or kill them in grotesque fashion, and had even heard of Shadows that claimed caravans and whole villages...why had she not realized that Jou was under a dark spell?

Mai _had_ known, a small voice in the back of her mind pointed out. The signs had all been there: the illustrations in the book, the nature of the curse that injured Jou if he tried to speak about it, the fact it was a curse, the fact he had been turned into a creature inherently of darkness—all of those had been indicators that she had willfully ignored in the wake of Jou's apparent humanity.

Her earlier doubts from the conversation she'd had with Ryou resurfaced. The dark nature of the spell could have easily shifted Jou's personality or corrupted his soul…he could be a decent individual now, but who was to say that the curse performed on him was not already twisting his nature and would eventually turn him into a Shadow?

What had she gotten herself into?

The conversation died after that, a heavy silence falling on them both, and though Valon stopped by with a concerned frown and tried to get her to talk she said nothing; the Aurosian glanced at Ryou once to see if he would be able to tell what had happened, but the white haired teenager minutely shook his head. Mai was actually grateful when Marik ordered her to bed and she was forced to go back inside the tent for the night.

She was awake long after the embers of the fire had died and had cast the tent into darkness.


	11. The White Dragon

Author's Note: OHGAWDI'MSORRY.

So, my brilliant plan to update this on Monday fell through when something called Life hit me broadside and I've been ridiculously busy...that and the fact that the content in this chapter would. Not. Cooperate. BLARGH.

Anyways. I'll try to have the next chapter up by Friday, but if not it'll be up - at the latest - next Monday. Enjoy!

* * *

><p><em>"How did you hurt yourself?"<em>

_That had been the question that had been half blurted out of her mouth as he'd led her through the maze. He had kept his back turned to her for the most part, but she'd seen the glimpse of the bruise underneath the boy's eye._

_The hand gripping hers tightened and his shoulders tensed. "Training accident," he said tersely, never turning around. "One of the royal guards was a bit too zealous and bam. Next thing I know I've a black eye," he finished with a forced laugh._

_"Didn't the guard get punished for it?" she persisted._

_"It was a training accident," repeated the boy, though now there was a warning edge to his words. "Don't worry, I'm fine."_

_Mai did not bother asking anything further on the matter—she could tell he did not want to talk about whatever had happened and she feared she would drive him off if she pursued it. "Are we almost there yet?" she asked impatiently, one eye on the setting sun._

_The boy stopped in the middle of the path, staring around him in some confusion before his shoulders slumped and a sheepish grin made its way across his features. "Oops," he said, looking at her over his shoulder_

_"Oops…wait, what do you mean oops?" she nearly shrieked. "We're lost in the middle of a maze, possibly stranded out here, it's close to nightfall, _and all you can think of to say is OOPS?"

"_Easy there," he said, holding his free hand up defensively. "I promised I'd get you out of here and back to the castle, so that's what I'm going to do. Don't worry—I've got you. We'll be out of here in no time."_

_She really ought to browbeat this kid—had he just gotten them even more lost?—but at the confident grin that lit his features the ire she'd felt vanished. She felt as if she had seen that grin somewhere once before and scowled, looking away. It was the kind of smile that was a contagious one, however, and when she glanced at him again a smile reluctantly made its way onto her features._

Mai woke up the following morning to the sound of hushed voices outside her tent.

She sat up, rubbing her eyes sleepily as she looked around the interior of the tent. No one else was inside it at the moment and gray light was filtering in from the outside, placing the time somewhere around dawn. She glanced at one side of the tent, where she could hear two apprehensive voices having a low conversation—clearly they were trying not to wake her up.

"How far away are they?" That was Ryou, she noted.

"I heard them about ten minutes ago. They're close," came the terse reply, identifying the speaker as Marik. "Went over the hill to scout the area and saw them. There's two, one high above and one flying low—I think they know we're here but they haven't pinpointed us yet."

"The horses?"

"Valon likely heard them coming long before I saw them and got the horses into the woods, out of range of the dragon's sight and smell. That's probably why he's not here at the moment, but he's got the right idea. We need to go before they arrive."

"We'll need to leave something for Bakura to follow, to let him know that—"

"No need. I mentioned yesterday that he wants us to head to the trees if something happens here. He'll know the signs of a dragon attack, he'll head straight there when he finds the site."

"Can we use Dragon's Bane to drive them off?"

"If there was only one dragon to deal with, yes. But considering the fact that we've got the woman and that there's two of them I don't think we should risk it. Get the princess, I'll keep look out."

There was a rustling sound and the tent flap opened, Ryou slipping inside it soundlessly. His eyes landed on Mai and they lit up. "Good, I don't have to wake you up. Highness, we need to leave," he said brusquely, packing up the small cauldron and other scattered belongings inside his messenger bag.

"I heard," said Mai, pushing the blanket off of her and getting to her feet. "What's going on?"

"A couple of dragons are coming this way. They must have caught the scent of the fire—we were up wind of their lair but the wind must have shifted in the night."

"How close are we to their den, anyways?" asked Mai. She had enough time to get the spell book before Ryou took her hand and started dragging her toward the forest.

"Not too far. Bakura put a camp here because he figured the dragons were a deterrent to law enforcement—you'd have to be incredibly brave or an idiot to go through dragon territory—but when they started attacking us he figured they would not look so close to their home for our camps. It worked for a while, but from what I can tell they've figured it out," Ryou explained as they hurried through the clearing.

"I'm guessing everything else at this site is useless to you, then?"

"Correct. All I need is this knapsack and what's in it," he replied, patting the bag at his side once. "We carry the really important items on us at all times. The dragons might pass this place entirely, but it never hurts to be careful."

Marik was watching the lightening sky intently from beneath the cover of the trees, his eyes flickering uneasily back and forth between the gaps in the trees. As Mai made it to the edge of the forest she could hear the sound of large wings flapping and a roar that, though distant, was enough to send vibrations through the ground. "They're minutes away," he said, slipping into the shadows with Ryou and Mai. "Move into the trees as fast as you can. Don't look back."

It was tough for Mai at first to navigate through the underbrush, since their pace was remarkably quick and tree roots kept tripping her up; Ryou and Marik were nimbly making their way through the brush, but Mai was having more trouble since she was carrying the spell book and because she had never had to travel through such terrain. After she nearly fell and twisted her ankle for the fifth time Marik ducked back, caught her by the elbow, and dragged her along with him.

"Get off me!" she snapped, shoving him off her. "I can walk on my own!"

"Then kindly move faster before I toss you over my shoulder."

"_Don't you dare."_

As Mai kept up with the others (barely) she could not help but notice that the forest had gone strangely silent—she remembered Vivian warning her once that animals could sense predators and often went deathly still to avoid detection. The snaps of trodden branches and the crunch of leaves beneath her feet sounded far too loud and, coupled with the eerie silence of the forest, it was enough to make her want to stop and huddle with the rest of the hidden wildlife.

A roar abruptly shattered the silence, the sound vibrating through the ground and crawling into her bones; that was the roar of a dragon that was far too big—bigger than Jou, even. Mai stumbled and fell back into Marik, who shoved her off of him in disgust. "What kind of dragons are you dealing with?" she hissed, masking her sudden fear with irritation.

"Obviously not small ones," retorted Marik.

All three of them froze as the sound of a thousand birds started welling up from the direction of the site, a light building in the clearing that they had stayed in and lighting the treetops above them; it could not be birds because no flock could generate that amount of noise in such a small area. The sharp and crisp scent of ozone started filtering through the trees and Mai suddenly realized what it was—the dragons seemed to share Jou's ability of blasting lightning.

Marik and Ryou both exchanged alarmed glances. "You don't think—?"

"I do," said Marik sharply, swearing in Enterran. "They figured it out."

Mai did not entirely understand what was happening or what Marik and Ryou were so worried about, but then someone grabbed her and began tugging her toward a particularly gnarled old oak tree far off the beaten path; she spotted Ryou and Marik both moving in the opposite direction. Mai had about a three second glimpse of brown hair and a pair of cerulean eyes before she was forced into the hollow of the tree. The same person pulled her into his arms and hunkered down, allowing her to catch the scent of pine needles and fallen leaves—Valon.

"Don' move," he said. "You'll slap me f'r this later, I know, but right now stay _down_."

Mai was about to object to this current position she was in when another roar sounded. In the next second the ground began to quake and she caught sight of a wall of lightning as it barreled through the trees. Valon pulled her away and pushed her roughly against the tree trunk.

The roar of the blast blazed past them, the wind generated by the lightning blasting against her and throwing branches against them. The pebbles bit against the skin on her arms before Valon grabbed her and, with an effort, put his back to the debris path and shielded her with his body.

This, it turned out, was only the beginning—the brunt of the blast had not hit them yet.

The actual stream of lightning, when it was upon them, was white-hot and she honestly thought she was on fire; the heat seared the air around her and stifled her lungs. The world was white, light blazing through her closed eyelids. It wrested a scream from her that was drowned out by the shriek of the lightning as it passed. Valon's arms tightened around her but he did not move and kept her shielded against him, though he was trembling. She didn't care—she just wanted it to end.

It had to be an eternity later before everything stopped, the wind dying down gradually as the lightning blast progressed through the rest of the forest. Mai was hunkered down with the book in her lap, her head almost touching her knees and her hands over her ears; Valon's grip loosened and it was only when he'd released her entirely that she realized he had not been the one who was trembling—she'd been the one shaking and her breathing was far too fast and panicked.

"Princess?" Valon's hand shook her shoulder. "C'mon, love, quit 'yperventilatin'. It's gone."

There was a pause and then there was an awkward but gentle pat on her shoulder. "'ey there, love. It's all done, no more dragons. They're gone. We've gotta find Ryou and Marik, now, so get up love."

"Mai."

Valon blinked, leaning back in surprise. "Wha'?"

"My name. It's Mai," she said shakily, making eye contact and giving a very half-hearted glare. "Stop calling me love before I sock you."

He gaped at her before grinning, his countenance brightening. "Sure thing, lo—Mai."

He held a hand out to her and she took it after securing the spell book, allowing him to pull her up; her legs were still shaking wildly and Mai could hardly stand. The young man seemed to understand, moving slowly as he led her back around the corner of the tree.

Mai was not prepared for the sight that met her eyes. The area where the lightning had carved its path through the trees was completely obliterated, only the bases of charred trees left standing; a knee-deep swathe had been cut into the earth. Underbrush, grass, leaves, any stray animals that had not been fortunate enough to find cover…it was all gone, the scorched earth stretching for miles past them.

Valon was surveying the damage grimly, his eyes sweeping over the charred earth and the smoking tree stumps. "Well tha's just _great_. This was a good part o' the forest f'r gettin' the deer," he muttered, releasing her as he placed his hands on his hips.

Mai grimaced as the smell of burnt flesh and wood assaulted her nostrils. "And that's your only concern?" she asked sarcastically, trying hard to hide how shaken she was.

The Aurosian froze. "Oh no—Marik! Ryou!" he shouted, looking around him in sudden alarm. She felt a stab of guilt for her remark when he started pacing the razed ground in agitation; he _had _just saved her life. This stab of guilt was replaced by annoyance seconds later—she would have to start defending herself and quit being such a damsel.

"Fellas, did you get charbroiled?" he called, searching the area desperately. "Please say no."

"No," came a pained but amused voice from somewhere to their left, and then Ryou and Marik stumbled into view. Both of them were covered in dirt and Ryou's left arm dangled at his side, blood pouring from the upper part of his shoulder; the white-haired thief was also limping, prompting Marik to support him.

"Is Ryou okay?" asked Valon in concern.

Ryou shot him a wry smile. "Nothing a healing potion won't fix. It was my own fault—I didn't get down fast enough and the blast knocked a tree branch into my arm," he replied, grimacing in pain when his arm was jarred. "I'm lucky it didn't end up broken."

"Why did the dragons fire into the trees like that?" she asked, stiffening when she heard the familiar shriek of lightning nearby. The earth shook beneath her feet.

Marik had heard it too. "The dragons know we're in this area. They tend to raze everything nearby and either kill us in the blast or force us into the open to pick us off separately," he responded curtly, helping Ryou to an overturned log. "Valon, please tell me the horses weren't in the blast radius."

Valon grinned and gestured to the unburned forest behind them. "'m smarter than tha'," he said, jerking his thumb behind him and winking at Mai. She could hear the uneasy whickering of the horses in the brush somewhere in the distance, off to the left of them "But, ah, we need to go…preferably now. The poor things are 'bout to go mad."

* * *

><p>Vivian looked up in surprise when the courier ran past her in the hallway; she could see an arrow with parchment tied around it in his hand and she reached out and snagged his arm before he could pass her entirely. "Where are you going in such a hurry?" she asked, her eyes drawn to the arrow.<p>

"It's no business of yours, woman," replied the man snidely.

In the next second he was pinned to the wall by several of her knives and she had leveled her most ornate (and most potent—her family's trademark poison was thinly coated on this blade) at his neck. "Try again," she said pleasantly.

The man gulped. "I-I can't. The prince…it is his business."

"The racket last night had something to do with the Thief King Bakura, if I heard that right, and there was rumor about the arrow he fired into the palace door," she said calmly, bringing the knife closer to his chin and maintaining her pleasant (if not slightly homicidal) smile. "Now, I'm heading in the direction of the throne room. Why don't you hand me the arrow you're no doubt delivering?"

The courier eyed her knife warily. "But you don't understand the importance of the message, women never…okay you can have this!" he added hastily, noticing Vivian's dark expression and holding the arrow up for her to take. "The new captain's seen it and we need to report the contents to the prince. We would have had it sooner, but the captain pursued the Thief King and had the arrow with him."

"Did you catch him?"

The man snorted. "No one ever does. The scoundrel escaped."

She contemplated this information for a moment before her smile grew. "Thank you, sweetie," she cooed, taking the arrow and releasing him. "See, that wasn't so hard. It pays to answer the nice lady's questions."

She started walking back down the hall, leaving the man to pull himself free from the wall. "Cursed wench," she heard him mutter, and without warning she turned on her heel and let loose a dagger that very nearly lodged itself in his ear.

Vivian had not left the castle after the dragon's attack; there would be no point in returning home without the princess in tow and it was her duty as a bodyguard to make certain that she found the princess. In the first few days after the princess's capture Vivian searched the wooded area beyond the boundaries of the kingdom relentlessly, taking a few of the guards with her as she had searched the woods; Raphael had allowed several of his uninjured men to be spared for the task, albeit with a warning that the men under her service might need to be returned to their duties.

The prince, however, had put a stop to her search two days after the attack: "I do not wish to lose someone else, whether it is to the dragon or to common thieves."

Vivian had not approved of the notice that Jean Claude had sent out that had announced Mai's disappearance and the subsequent reward involved. It would cause problems later on, certainly, if someone got a hold of the princess and decided to ransom her back to the castle—if it had been up to her no one would have known that a Thystian princess had been kidnapped by the dragon. The other kingdoms were bound to notice something like the announcement the prince had made and it was only a matter of time before it would cause trouble back home.

When she had pointed this out and had tried to return to the forest, however, Jean Claude had put his foot down. "I have failed your mistress once by allowing her capture. I cannot fail her again by allowing her favored lady-in-waiting to place herself in danger needlessly," he had said seriously.

She had pointed out that she was a bodyguard and was supposed to place herself in harm's way to protect the princess (who also doubled as her best friend), but her arguments had fallen on deaf ears. She'd tried approaching Raphael after she had failed to sway the prince, but it was to find a new captain was in charge and Raphael was nowhere to be found; Alister had seemed extra bitter in the past few days in the wake of the former captain's disappearance, but when she'd asked he had told her Jean Claude had sent him and a small party of guards out to the forest to search in lieu of Vivian. It did not entirely ease her discomfort on the matter of Mai's disappearance.

She unrolled the parchment from the arrow and studied it, her eyes narrowing as she read the message on it. She changed directions the moment she finished, stalking past the courier again; he winced as she passed him and huddled against the wall to avoid her gaze, but the black-haired woman ignored him and continued on her way to the throne room. She had no idea why the note had taken so long to bring to the prince but she would personally deliver it herself.

The ransom note in her hands was the perfect way to tell Jean Claude "I told you so."

* * *

><p>"Now, Valon, don't add the mugwort too soon or you'll set fire to the cauldron again," said Ryou, watching the other teenager apprehensively as the other young man inserted a wooden spoon into the cauldron. "You want to add it only when there's a tint of green to it."<p>

The younger man scowled. "Quit tellin' me!" he said, stirring the clear potion carefully. "You blokes 'ave no confidence in me at all."

"It's not lack of confidence that makes us wary," said Marik wryly. "It's the voice of experience."

"Gag tha' voice, then. I won' set fire t' this cauldron!" Valon declared, leaning back to allow the potion to simmer. He needed to slice up a clove of mugwort before stirring it and Ryou handed it to him.

"_This_ cauldron? There were others? Oh, that's _really_ reassuring," Mai said sarcastically, massaging her aching feet.

The small group had found the horses by a nearby creek and had made their way through the forest via a little known path; they had been doubly wary of clearings that exposed them to the sky above and did not make any fires. Marik had briefly doubled back to their old site to leave a message for Bakura to find before catching up to them, but otherwise they made good time and had arrived at the next site early in the afternoon. Mai would have preferred to ride one of the horses instead of walking, but because Ryou had hurt his leg in the attack that morning Marik had transferred everything to one of the horses to let the white-haired teenager ride the other one; the rest of them had walked, much to her displeasure.

Mai had been wondering what Bakura had meant by "the tree site" but upon arrival understood why it had earned its name. This particular camp was in the deepest part of the forest, away from the mountains and possibly out of sight of the dragons; the trees grew thick in this part of the forest and barely any sunlight filtered into it, casting the area into semi-darkness. The clearing that the camp was in only allowed a small part of sunlight into it.

The camp itself turned out to be nestled in the tree tops surrounding the clearing. Wooden platforms had been built around four of the trees, each of which were strategically placed facing different directions. The platforms were camouflaged by the rest of the tree's branches and small huts had been built on the clear wooden surfaces, one composed of nothing but tarp and others made from a combination of lumber and mud; each of these tree houses were linked by wooden bridges (none of which crossed the clearing—Mai figured it was a way to prevent the dragons flying overhead from seeing them). It had taken time to build this camp and she had a strong suspicion that this was the central hideout for the Thief King.

After stowing the horses in an underground stable (this had also taken her by surprise) they had climbed into one of the tree houses and had started settling in. The pain in Ryou's shoulder wound had been steadily growing worse, prompting them to start making a potion to help; Marik was putting the supplies from the horse's saddlebags in their proper places and was assessing the provisions, leaving it to Valon to brew the potion.

Mai looked across her, where she could see a vacant tree house. "You told me you scattered your men in different camps. How come no one is here?" she asked with a frown.

Marik snorted derisively. "I would think the answer obvious."

Her face darkened. "Well pardon me for not seeing the obvious, what with me being a _fantastic _example of a thief," she retorted sarcastically. "I ought to be drawn and quartered for my ignorance."

The corner of the Enterran's mouth quirked. "This is our main camp," he explained with marked reluctance, confirming Mai's suspicions. "If there was a large group here the dragons would sniff them out and we'd lose the last large hideaway we have. We're taking a chance as it is," he added darkly. "We're lucky that Ryou's healing potions are, for the most part, scentless."

"So if it's your main camp why does Valon know where it is? He's not a member of your gang," she pointed out.

Valon cursed as he sliced his finger open and stuck the appendage in his mouth (he had been slicing up the mugwort). His voice was muffled when he spoke next. "'cause I found 'em first. I like explorin' 'n' found 'em one day."

Marik grumbled. "It would have been better if we'd simply killed him."

Mai was affronted at this comment, but Ryou shook his head. "Marik, you don't mean that."

When the blonde woman looked to him Ryou continued with, "We have plenty of people in our merry little band, but not one of them lived as long out here in the forest as Valon has. Bakura is more familiar with Enterran soil than these woods—it would be wise to have one on our side who knows escape routes and where to find game, water, and nearby hideaways like this one."

Valon added the mugwort into the potion and began stirring it, the liquid in the cauldron turning a brilliant shade of emerald; he still kept his finger in his mouth and stirred it in with his good hand. "I didn' 'ave much t' do, wha' with my friends bein' gone 'n' all."

"I take it your friends left the forest," she said wryly. "I would too, since we're being chased by bloodthirsty beasts."

The Aurosian paused and she noticed that his shoulders had tightened. "Well, yeah," he said flatly, and the potion started changing into a darker green as the tempo of his stirring increased. "They left a while ago, 'cause they got…apprenticed. I coulda followed, but…eh. I've never been one for stone walls," he finished cryptically.

Ryou glanced at the potion, an alarmed expression appearing on his face as he rose to his feet. "Highness, I suggest moving," he said, limping to the nearest spot of cover. "Valon stirred the potion too fast _and _ added the mugwort too soon. It's going to explode."

"…It's going to _what?"_

Marik and Valon both grabbed the medium sized cauldron and in a fluid motion tossed it off the platform and into the air above the clearing. Mai grabbed the spell book and ducked down behind a sack of flour just as a small explosion sounded, followed by the smattering of potion as it hit the wood.

Mai waited for a few seconds before peering cautiously over the top of the flour sack. Ryou had scrambled behind a stack of crates, but Marik and Valon had not been so fortunate and were now covered in what appeared to be dark green sludge.

Marik stared down at his appearance and then roared. "Every time with you! Why is it _every_ time that you try cooking something it explodes or bursts into flame?"

"I can' 'elp it," said Valon miserably, grimacing as a pile of green goo slid off his bangs and onto the ground. "Me chums always warned me 'bout cookin'."

Mai started to laugh. "And I can see why they would," she said, giggling when Valon turned a scowl on her. "You both look like sludge monsters!"

Ryou looked amused as well. "You'll both need to get cleaned up. The potion cools when it contacts skin and you're lucky you didn't end up burned, but you'll need to wash it off before any adverse effects start happening. No telling what happened to make it explode like that."

Marik grumbled and started shrugging out of his shirt. "Stupendous. This was the last change of clean clothes I had," he muttered, turning his back on them as he pulled the shirt off. He disappeared around the tree trunk almost instantly, before Mai could see his back—odd, actually, that Marik would do something like that. Then again, though, she was a woman, so that might be a large part of the reason he'd done that.

Valon shrugged, then grimaced as another part of the failed potion fell off his hair with a sickening squelch on the platform. "Ugh. Nasty pond scum smellin' junk, innit?" he remarked, and then before Mai could move he'd shaken his head to try and get rid of the gunk.

It did not come all the way off his fluffy hair, but a good portion of it did fly through the air—splattering itself on Mai's face and hair. "VALON!" she shrieked in outrage, wincing when she caught wind of the smell coming from the goo.

Marik came back around with the same shirt he'd take off back on his torso. "Ryou, the clothes are starting to stink," he said, wrinkling his nose in distaste.

"I know," remarked Ryou, pinching his nose. "Valon, when you mess up a potion you mess it up tremendously…you three are going to have to go to the river and wash off, or the dragons will pick up that smell and rain terror down on our heads."

The trio watched as Ryou started rummaging through his bag and pulled out the small cauldron he'd had in the tent, likely to start making another healing potion from scratch. "Are you certain you don't need help?" Mai asked. "I mean, how likely is it the dragons can smell this stuff?"

"Very likely, I'm afraid," said Marik flatly. "They've got a wicked sense of smell. I would be surprised if they hadn't already caught a whiff of this.

Ryou waved them off. "Go on, before the sun starts to set," he said. "I can handle this—besides, this cauldron was my mother's and I'd rather not have it explode."

Five minutes later the three of them were once more moving through the forest. Mai was not entirely thrilled they could not take the horses and that she had to travel on foot; she was thoroughly convinced that her feet would detach if she kept on going. At the same time, though, the stench from the potion on her face and hair was enough of a motivation to keep her going.

"Gross," muttered Valon as he picked off another drying patch of the potion off his clothes. "This stuff had better come out, 'cause otherwise 'm gonna kill somethin'."

"That's my line," she said flatly. "You better pray it does, Valon, because if not I'm smothering you in your sleep."

Valon stopped walking entirely, a horrified expression on his face. Marik rolled his eyes and marched past them, though she caught the sight of an exasperated grin on his face. "Come on, you two. Faster we get there, faster we get back to base before the dragons find us."

"More walking," she grumbled, picking up the pace nonetheless. "So where's this river Ryou mentioned? Is it safe to go there? I only ask because I don't want to end up being charbroiled by an overgrown lizard."

"'course it's safe," said Valon cheerfully, ignoring her previous comment and vaulting over a fallen log. He helped Mai over it and waited until she was ready before continuing to walk forward; Marik had already gone past them. "This part o' the forest is too dense f'r the dragons to go in—they like big open spaces, not the enclosed ones you find 'ere."

He sighed as he studied his clothing some more. "Elya coulda gotten these stains out right quick," he continued. "I dunno 'ow she does it, but she always gets the toughest stains out _and_ she could even get rid o' the smell. She's a clothing genius—too bad she isn' 'ere, else I wouldn' 'ave t' get new clothes."

"Is this Elya the love of your life?" she asked slyly. "Aww, how sweet."

"Ha ha, Mai. As good lookin' as Elya is, and even if I was interested in 'er, she's married to a good friend o' mine," he said dismissively, clambering over a few rocks. "Right sweet'eart she is. Always made me some sugared bread whenever I came over."

Mai followed after him easily. She was beginning to get the hang of moving through the forest's dense undergrowth and she could manage to at least not fall too far behind, though her feet still ached. "Is she a part of Bakura's gang of thieves?"

Valon shook his head. "Naw. She lived 'ere in the forest like me, but she moved out with my friend when 'e got 'pprenticed," he said sadly. "I 'aven' 'eard from 'em in a while, though. It's kinda troublin', 'cause they always send me some message 'n' it's been months since I—oh, 'ere's the river."

The forest had gotten marginally lighter around them as they had traveled through the undergrowth; the river must be a large one, she mused, because she could hear the water as it flowed past them. When they abruptly broke out of the forest and into a meadow (more like a marsh) Mai could see the fairly wide river as it sluggishly passed them; the river was a wide one and out in the open, she noticed, and the gravel that made up the bank stretched into the long grass that they were currently standing in. Further out Mai could see where the current picked up and sped on its way, but this part of the river was comparatively calmer than the rest of it.

Marik was already sitting on the bank of the river, soaking wet and his clothes plastered against his skin. He'd already gotten cleaned off. "Wash up and let's go," he said, keeping a hand on Dragon's Bane and watching the sky intently. "This may be a part of the forest the dragons don't come to very often, but today might be that one time they break their routine."

Mai passed Valon and made her way daintily to the river, dipping her feet into the water and a contented smile creeping onto her face when the cool water soothed the ache in them.

Valon clambered onto a large rock that overlooked a deeper section of the river and then leapt off. "Watch out!" he called gaily, hitting the water with a splash that soaked Mai entirely through.

"Valon!" she spluttered, glaring at the boy when he came up. "I ought to kill you!"

The Aurosian grinned but disappeared under water, giving Mai the chance to wash up in peace. She kept a wary eye out for Valon or any attempt to completely submerge her in the river, but it seemed the brown-haired teenager had moved on; she could see him a little ways off as nothing more than a shadow beneath the water.

Mai finished getting the foul smelling substance out of her hair and off her face, glancing at where Marik was positioned. "Is it all off?" she asked, holding out a portion of her hair for his inspection.

Marik glanced at her. "It is," he said dismissively, his eyes drifting off to where Valon was currently accumulating a small pile of fish. He shook his head with a small smile. "Valon, you would think of that. Always looking for food," he muttered loud enough for her to hear.

"From what I gather he's like your little hunter. There's no market out here for you to buy food from," she remarked.

Marik turned his attention to her as she clambered up the bank to sit nearby, though she still kept her distance. "He catches food for us because he probably thinks of it as payment for letting him stay with us. He can't cook, though," he added with a grimace. "That was something he relied largely on those he was living with."

"Those people keep popping up," she mused, remembering the wistful expression on the young man's face at their mention. "He must have been pretty close to his friends."

"He was," Marik said. "Forest folk, like Valon, tend to stick together since there are not too many people out here in the woods. That way they can help each other out in the face of disease or crisis. Valon lived nearby his friends for years."

Mai mulled this over. She had not been allowed to play with any of the palace children when she was younger, so she had relied heavily on Vivian for friendship; she could not even imagine what her life would be like if Vivian left. Mai could not imagine why such close friends would part ways.

When she voiced this thought moments later Marik snorted. "They did not have much choice in the matter. 'Apprenticed' was the word the guards used when they collected his friends and about a dozen others about a year ago, but it was more like they were drafted into being guards. It wasn't too long after that when Valon bumped into us," said Marik grimly.

"The prince is using _peasants_ for his guards?" she asked, frowning skeptically. "But such people would not be trained for combat purposes. In a real attack they'd be slaughtered," she continued, remembering how some of the guards had scrambled about when the dragon had attacked. "That's not safe at all, why would the prince order such a thing?"

"Not the prince. The king had a shortage of men and resorted to pulling men from all corners of the kingdom. Not all of them are from the forest," Marik amended. "Most of them are trained in the palace and are children of previous guards. Still, a good portion of Prince Jean Claude's guard is formed by forest folk."

Mai thought this over and watched a flock of sparrows fly overhead. "The guards did not get Valon when they came, obviously, and he had to have been of age. How come they missed him?" she asked.

"He'd been sent on a pointless errand the moment his friends got wind of the soldiers coming in. By the time Valon returned they were gone."

The blonde woman's frown deepened. "So they gave themselves up to keep him out of the castle?"

The Enterran scoffed, mistaking her troubled frown for a confused one. "I knew you wouldn't understand. Royalty doesn't often care about those who are under their service," he said flatly. "The word 'friend' for you people is more like 'ally'."

Mai bristled. "What, you don't think I don't understand?" she asked indignantly. "My best friend is my lady in waiting, pal. She's under my service, last I checked, and I've also shown some concern for you lot!"

Marik raised a clearly disbelieving eyebrow.

"Oh forget it," she snapped, folding her arms over her chest petulantly. "I'm not going to waste my time correcting you when you're so thoroughly convinced that I'm a despicable human being."

Mai watched Valon resurface and climb out of the water, shaking his fluffy hair dry (which still managed to defy gravity, even when thoroughly soaked). "Does he have a family to stay with?" she asked, looking to Marik again and unfolding her arms.

Marik returned her gaze evenly. "Valon was staying with his friends when they were taken to the castle—they were about the only family he had, really, since not many other people in the forest are too friendly to him. He may have been brought to the forest and he knows it better than most, but he was born in Auros. Forest dwellers trust only those they've seen since birth."

Mai's eyes softened again. She could understand the alienation Valon faced—she was too loud-spoken, too free-minded, and too blunt. She had not met Vivian until she'd been ten; the other princesses at other kingdoms had already started playing one against the other and she'd been one they'd primarily targeted…at least, until Mai started beating them at their own game. Still, though, the ultimate result of these petty games had left her an outcast in most royal courts. Valon was really no different than she was.

The sympathy she felt was promptly squashed when a firm voice reminded her that he was still one of the ones who'd kidnapped her, friendless or not, and one of the ones who had brought harm to the dragon she'd befriended.

…But then again…Jou might turn into a snarling, ravaging beast because he was cursed by Shadow magic…for all she knew the other young man was going to conquer the world or at least bring about destruction on all who lived in these parts.

"I seriously need to re-evaluate my friends," she muttered, dropping her head into her hands.

Valon had finished fishing by now and was crossing the marsh, holding the fish in hand and a skip to his step. "Is there any o' tha' gunk on me still?" he called.

"No, you're fine," assured Marik, grimacing at the fish when Valon finally came up to them. "We are not eating those, by the way."

"Oh yes we are," said Valon brightly. "I don' 'ave t' set traps t' catch bunnies and I reckon the nearest veggies are two hours from 'ere. Deal with it, Marik, you're eatin' fish tonight."

Marik's eyebrow rose. "Like you'll make me eat it?"

"Why not? I could always tie ya down 'n' force feed ya."

"How many times do I have to tell you I'm a vegetarian? Eating meat isn't something I fancy."

"'ave you even eaten meat before, mate?"

Mai's head shot up abruptly and she started scanning the forest behind them warily. "Shut up."

Both of the men looked at Mai with confused expressions. "We're allowed to argue. You don't have any princess authority out here—"

"No, I mean it, Marik: shut up for a second."

Mai had been lost in her thoughts and had attributed that as a reason she had not heard the sound of the forest around her, but now that Marik and Valon were bickering she was painfully aware that the trees had fallen silent. There was not a bird or animal in sight, come to think of it

Marik had figured out what the blonde woman had been so uneasy about and was looking around as well, his lavender eyes roaming over everything. "Valon," he began warningly, reaching for Dragon's Bane and beginning to unsheathe it.

A shadow fell on the river and for one moment Mai had thought a cloud had gone across the sun, but then there was a flash of white hurtling from the sky and a roar that broke the silence. Valon grabbed Mai and started to lead her to the safety of the trees, but a short burst of lightning blew the trees immediately surrounding the meadow down. Mai shrieked as one fell dangerously close to her and hit the coarse earth, stumbling backward into the two men behind her and knocking them down. Marik cursed sharply and there was a splash as he presumably fell in the water.

The white-scaled dragon was magnificent, its scales shining silver in the afternoon sunlight and blue as contrasting shadow; it was enormous, filling her line of sight. There were no horns or spines on the dragon, nor were there any vulnerable areas on its body— the wings even had a thin lining of scales on the leathery membranes. White Dragons were rumored to be invincible and the haughty way its blue eyes gazed down on her assured her that it was.

She gaped at the dragon soundlessly as it snarled at them before whirling on Marik and Valon furiously. "You mean to tell me you angered the _White Dragons?"_ she nearly screamed. "What in God's name did you do to them?"

Her comment was ignored. "Marik, that sword of yours would be good right about now," Valon said in a low tone of voice as he watched the dragon tensely.

"It would if the princess hadn't knocked it out of my hands when she fell into us!" Marik growled as he started wading through the river, his hands submerged to try and find the hilt. Now Mai knew what the earlier splash had been.

"Okay, then I'll buy you time…oi, Scaly!" Valon shouted, waving his arms and bounding into the dragon's line of sight.

The dragon stared at him with a bored expression before turning its attention to where the other two people were. It started forward with another snarl when it saw Marik, teeth bared and eyes alight with malice.

Valon bent down and caught up a large rock, tossing it nearly into the animal's eye; the beast roared and shook its massive head before its gaze refocused on the Aurosian, who was now bouncing on the balls of his feet and grinning cockily at it.

"I bet you couldn' 'it me if you tried!" he taunted. "I could dodge you with my eyes closed and me 'ands bound b'hind my back, you ugly overgrown—!"

The dragon's tail whipped around its body to hit him and Valon had to do an odd sort of cartwheel to avoid it, tumbling into the shallow water but regaining his feet instantly. "You missed, you blind salamander!" he crowed, a cocky grin lighting his features as he continued moving around. "C'mon, Scaly, do better than tha'!"

The beast did not seem all that flustered that it had missed him. On the contrary, it was eyeing him with something of annoyance, the tip of its tail twitching and a cold glitter in its eyes. When Valon stepped too close the dragon instantly reacted. It caught him with a taloned paw and knocked him into one of the fallen trees; the Aurosian had not had enough time to brace himself and was completely caught off guard. When he hit the ground he was out cold.

"Valon!" Mai shouted desperately, watching the dragon as it advanced leisurely on the fallen man. She whirled around to where the Enterran was crouched—so far, the dragon had been ignoring them because of Valon, but it would not for much longer."Marik, tell me you found it!"

It was clear he had not. Marik was still huddled over the river and cursing in Enterran, trying to find the sword and moving as quickly as he could—that meant it was up to Mai to at least provide some distraction until he found the sword.

She looked around her quickly before noticing a noticing a large tree branch that half lay in the river bed. Mai instantly sprinted across the gravel and picked it up, grunting when it resisted her grip—of _course_ she'd picked the heaviest branch. Nonetheless she managed to prise it loose and started dragging it to where the dragon was advancing on Valon, and when she got close enough she lifted it awkwardly and swung it with all her might into its arm.

Instantly there was a sharp pain as the dragon's hand swept into her, knocking her off her feet into a patch of the marsh a few feet away. She let out a pained gasp as something flared in her ribs but managed to sit up and glare at the dragon, who was also gazing at her with equal scorn.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to hit a lady?" she snapped, her hand closing around a rock and throwing it at its head. Seconds later a horrified squeak escaped her mouth—she'd probably just made it angrier and she was in no position to run.

The beast dodged it, of course, but its patience seemed to have reached its limit. The lightning began building in its jaws once again, the keening shriek of gathering energy sounding through the air; she could feel the heat from the lightning even from her position. The tang of ozone was definitely getting stronger and the light was building in its jaws—she was done for, any second now and she'd meet her doom—

And then something black and half the size of the white-scaled dragon barreled into the beast, a familiar roar coming trumpeting through the air. The white dragon had not been expecting this attack and staggered backward, a surprised snarl escaping its throat. It recovered quickly, though, and the lightning disappeared instantly as it lunged forward to sink its fangs into the other dragon. The black animal leapt away and narrowly avoided the snapping jaws, roaring once more as he placed himself between Mai and the attacking dragon.

Mai could see the areas where the scales were still re-growing in the places Bakura had stabbed him with the Dragon's Bane, but beyond that he looked mostly unharmed. A pair of crimson eyes swiveled back toward her briefly and it let out a reassuring rumble from the back of its throat.

Terrified relief began coursing through her and her voice was little more than a whisper when she spoke. "Jou."


	12. Meeting Mokuba

_Author's Note: UGH. I don't think I'll even bother setting a concrete deadline for chapters anymore. I'll try to update the fic on this upcoming Friday (keeping fingers crossed), but if not I apologize. The semester is picking up and things are getting busy on my end._

_Anyways, I hope you all like this chapter and thank you for continually giving me support on this little project of mine :D_

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><p>Okay, so flailing around in a small space after being stabbed by an enchanted sword had not been the smartest thing he had ever done. But come on, he'd have to be a <em>rock <em>in order not to feel the terrible burning and the amount of pain being channeled through his body at the blows.

Jou had smelled the intruders and that had been what had woken him up to begin with; when he had not immediately seen Mai he had feared she'd encountered the trespassers and he'd looked around to find her. He had not initially known if she had seen them or had bumped into them by accident, but then that falsetto voice had come out of Mai's self-claimed bathing cavern and he'd instantly known something was up. That had been why he had hidden—he would wait until he understood what they were after, then he would attack, he decided.

It annoyed him when he learned that they'd been looking for a hoard. Several thieves had tried before to find his hoard, but Jou had merely grabbed them with his teeth, flew high over the nearest river, and dropped them into it (the band of men he had encountered had not been this current group). When he saw his chance, though, he had come out of hiding—only to run smack dab into an enchanted sword.

He had seen Mai being dragged away from him by two men he hadn't recognized and he'd tried to go to her, tried to rescue her from the men carrying her away, but then that white-haired man had attacked him again and his tail had slammed into the wall out of pain. That had been what had dropped a part of the ceiling onto his head—and _that _had hurt.

He'd woken up in the aftermath of the cavern collapse with what had been the ceiling on top of him and the scent of the healing spring filtering through the crushed rock around him. He had tried to get himself loose but the pain that flared white hot through his vision had stopped him; he had no idea how many hours he'd spent lying there until he garnered enough strength to shove the rocks off his body, but they had been plenty. When he had finally broken through the rubble the sky above him was dark.

The spell book must have been unfortunately caught underneath the rubble, but the healing pool had not been buried in the collapse—thank God. The book could wait until his wounds were tended to. He had half-dragged himself to the water and then had practically collapsed in the pool, too exhausted and hurt to make himself move at all; the pleasant tingle of the water as it went to work on the wounds inflicted on him by the sword eventually lulled him to sleep.

He had spent the next day and a half soaking in the water, dozing off and on wearily as the water did its job; though it could heal most injuries quickly the spring seemed to have quite a bit of trouble with the wounds inflicted on it by Dragon's Bane. Most spells and potions did not generally work against dragons, he knew, but something about this sword clearly proved to be the exception to that idea. It annoyed him even further when he mulled over the battle—he'd been beaten by a small pointy metal _stick_, for crying out loud! What kind of dragon let himself lose to a stick?

The entire time he had been soaking in the water, though, Jou had worried and fretted over whether or not Mai was all right. The only reason she was in this mess was because he had brought her out here and now she was a captive, with no way of knowing if she was unharmed (the irony of this statement was not lost on him). He had no idea where the men had gone with her and he would have taken off in flight instantly to search for her, but the pain in his body was the only thing stopping him; every movement had made him actually whimper and he had reluctantly conceded that he would have to remain still until he healed. Pain was no stranger to him, but this time he could not move until he had suitably recovered.

At last, however, the injuries had healed enough for Jou to get out of the water and take to the sky; he made a half-hearted attempt to search the rubble for the spell book, but Mai's welfare was far more important and he decided that the book certainly not going anywhere anytime soon.

Jou had started out close to the cave and then had radiated outward from the mountain, his eyes scanning the ground below and desperate to at least catch a whiff of Mai's scent: flowers with a dash of some nameless spice to it. Being a dragon had its perks; his vision and his sense of smell were heightened, as well as his hearing—all of which were advantageous in trying to locate Mai. He had no luck on the first day of his search and pushed himself until the moon was high above him in the sky, at which point he'd had to land for the night.

The following morning he'd heard an earth shattering roar of another dragon and had heard the blasts it must have fired into the forest; fearful that it had something to do with Mai, he had taken off in the direction he had heard it from. He'd found the razed remains of what had been a camp about an hour later, and when he had caught Mai's scent mingling with the burned forest around him his alarm justifiably increased.

He had refused to believe that she had been killed, of course. Mai was too stubborn of a woman to let some dragon do her in and he had searched the area with that thought in mind. It had taken him an inordinate amount of time and a lot of digging through the underbrush but at last he caught her scent again, heading deeper into the forest. From there Jou had simply taken off in the direction her scent had gone in, confident that he'd find her if he kept along the line he had mentally drawn.

Sure enough, he found Mai near a large river later on that afternoon—but he'd also found the much-larger-than-he-was dragon that was attacking her and the two men with her.

When the white dragon had hit Mai and had knocked her backward, though, Jou had felt fury blaze through his veins and he hardly cared that he was still recovering and far too small to really take on a dragon of this size.

Mai needed him and that knowledge was what made him propel himself into the larger dragon.

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><p>Jou and the white dragon had been facing off for a couple minutes now, posturing and hissing dangerously. Their bodies were surprisingly low to the ground, their muscles bunching beneath their scales and their tails lashing back and forth; if it was not for the fact that this was a situation of life or death Mai would be inclined to call this a cat fight.<p>

Her glance went to where Valon was still on the ground, out cold completely, and then traveled to where Marik was wading through the river, a familiar red glow beneath the surface of the water. It seemed he had finally found Dragon's Bane. "It looks like your dragon friend survived," he remarked, pulling the sword out of the water and watching the bobbing heads of the dragons.

"You're not going to help Valon?" asked Mai, also keeping an eye on the dragons. "He's awfully close to where the dragons are."

"What?"

Marik's gaze swung to where the Aurosian was lying in a crumpled heap and swore under his breath. "Stay here, Highness, and I'll go get him," he said, instantly making his way across the marsh and taking advantage of the dragon's posturing. "The last thing I need is a princess underfoot—and if you try to escape I _swear_ I'll break your leg."

Mai debated on whether or not she should go as well (like she was going to listen to anything he said) but did not get the chance to decide—she was not sure who had moved first, but with an earth-shattering roar the dragons sprung from their coiled positions and barreled into each other. Her safest place to be was where she stood and she had no choice but to remain where she was.

The white dragon used its weight to pin Jou down, its fangs flashing as they buried themselves into Jou's shoulder, close to his wing; the teeth glanced off his scales harmlessly due to a last minute effort on Jou's part to break loose, the sound of screeching metal reaching her ears and causing her to put her hands over her ears (what on _earth_ were dragon scales made out of? What substance could cause that unearthly racket?). At the same moment Jou's powerful hind legs caught the underbelly of the larger dragon and with a snarl he rolled the White Dragon off of him, his claws flashing in the sun as they narrowly missed the larger dragon.

Jou was not the friendly dragon that Mai had interacted with and spent time with over the past week and a half—that dragon was gone. In his place was a far more feral creature, the one that had attacked the castle that first night she'd arrived in Jean Claude's kingdom and one that was more beast than human. When he struck his blows were meant to kill and it was only the fact that the larger animal was more armored that stopped several of his attacks from being fatal.

Mai had no trouble believing that Jou could turn into a Shadow, based on what she was seeing now.

Jou was also at the obvious disadvantage in this fight. He was smaller and not as largely muscled as the White Dragon, not to mention that his wounds from Dragon's Bane were still healing; they were already beginning to bleed once again, dyeing the river red as the blood ran down his scales. This did not seem to deter him, though—on the contrary, this underdog position seemed to make Jou excel in combat. The determination to win was giving him strength to fight back and that was apparently all he needed.

The dragons barreled into each other again and again, their snarls and roars getting louder and breaking through the hands over her ears; more than once they tumbled to the ground and rolled through the trees surrounding the river, knocking down trees that had been upright for generations. Water splashed through the air as their bodies rolled into the river, flying through the air and crashing against the fallen trees; a wave of water crashed on top of her and doused her in cold water, plastering her hair to her face.

A hand closed down on top of her shoulder and she looked up at Marik, who had Valon's limp body draped across his back. "If you know how, take care of him!" he ordered, dropping the other teenager on the ground unceremoniously. Dragon's Bane was shining with a red light and Marik had already started making his way forward before Mai realized what he was doing and reached out to grab him.

"Let go!" he snapped.

"You can't attack right now!" she said desperately, remembering what had happened last time the enchanted sword had entered a fight against Jou. Although she wanted the black dragon to have some aid in this fight Marik was likely to attack both of them. "Please, let Jou help! He can weaken the other dragon and you wouldn't have to waste so much effort in subduing the White Dragon!"

Marik weighed her words, mulling over them thoughtfully. "You do have a point," he began, frowning. "I will give it a little longer for your friend to—"

A keening shriek came from the river and Mai's head swiveled sharply. The white dragon had managed to pin Jou down with its massive claws and it was pushing Jou's head beneath the water; the smaller dragon's head had broken the surface of the water briefly but had been shoved back down, his tail thrashing wildly as it slammed desperately into the sides of his opponent. His movements were weakening in every passing second.

"Never mind what I said!" she shouted, shoving the bewildered Enterran forward. "Go!"

Marik needed no second telling. In a blur of movement he had reached the two dragons and had driven Dragon's Bane into the white dragon's paw. "Remember me?" he asked challengingly as a pair of angry blue eyes swiveled onto him. "I'm the guy you nearly stepped on last week. I told you that I'd pay you back for that!"

The larger dragon roared in outrage, backing up and holding its wounded paw in the air as it snarled at Marik. It still was keeping its weight on top of Jou's head, though, and Mai honestly felt terrified. If Jou did not get out from under its grip then he would drown.

Her gaze went to the red light that was building in the larger dragon's wound, but the light was spreading much slower in the wound than it had when the sword had struck Jou. White Dragons really were harder to defeat, she realized vaguely.

This was not where her immediate concern lay, however—Jou's thrashing tail was plummeting and his struggles were ceasing. He had not resurfaced, unable to free himself from the weight pushing him down into the river.

She took a few running steps forward, fully prepared to leap into the water and pull him out of the river herself if she had to. He was going to drown if she didn't do something and after everything he'd done for her he did not deserve to die protecting her—he had already nearly done so once. _"JOU!"_

With an energy that had not been there before the black tail coiled around the arm trapping his head underwater and then yanked viciously, throwing the larger dragon off balance and causing it to stumble backward. Marik narrowly avoided the falling body of the white dragon and ducked back to the river bank as Jou's head broke the surface of the water, the black-scaled animal choking and gasping for breath. He lurched to his feet drunkenly and tottered back to the marsh, gagging on the water he'd ingested and shaking the water off his body.

Once he had recovered, though, his eyes went to where Mai was standing on the river bank and the eerie grin settled on his features, a reassuring rumble coming from his throat before he returned his focus onto the white dragon. His body tensed and he once again started growling, eyes locked on the bristling dragon across him.

He'd heard her scream, she realized with a sudden jolt of shock. Somehow or another he had heard her voice from underwater and he'd responded. That, coupled with his fighting spirit, had been what had driven him to get out from under the larger dragon.

A pained moan came from off to her right and Mai remembered Valon, turning around to look at him. The young man was sitting up and holding a hand to his head, rubbing it with a pained expression. "Owwww," he groaned. "Not one o' my best ideas, antagonizin' somethin' tha' big."

"You okay?" she asked, coming back over to him.

"I'll live—it was no worse when a tree fell on me last year," he replied, letting his hand drop as he looked around him in some confusion. "Wha' 'appened?"

His eyes went to where the dragons were once again posturing before he turned a disbelieving stare on her. "Mai, your dragon friend's got the Devil's luck," he said. "'ow'd 'e find you? Never mind tha'—'ow'd 'e survive gettin' stabbed with tha' sword of Bakura's _and_ a cave-in?"

"I'm sure he has his ways," she said, a hint of pride in her voice as she gazed at Jou. His battered body was planted fully between Mai and the attacking dragon—he was ready to do whatever it took to defend her, and it both scared her and stirred some nameless emotion inside her.

Her eyes caught a movement on the other side of the river and she blinked, focusing on the shadows beneath the trees intently. She could have sworn that she'd seen something there, something behind the white dragon's body…

There. There, in the shadow of a large oak that had managed to remain standing. There was someone over there, watching the battle. She could not see who it was, but she knew it was a person—the outline was enough for her to identify it as such. "Valon, over there," she said quietly, discreetly pointing to where she'd seen the figure. "Am I seeing things or is there someone there?"

The brown-haired man followed her finger and studied the area intently, somehow managing to appear as if he was focused on the battle. A moment later, he answered, "You're fine, Mai. I see it too."

"Who's back there?" she asked.

"I dunno. Might be someone I know, might be an enemy…I can' tell. They won' come all the way out from behind there, so I can't say f'r certain."

Mai's eyes went from the tree to the white dragon, then to the tree again. The larger animal was positioned directly in front of that space. Come to think of it, the dragon had avoided bringing the combat over there, keeping Jou instead to the area around it and in the river; there was something about its defensive posture that was familiar to her…maybe…and then the answer came to her in a sudden flash of understanding.

"It's protecting someone," she said softly, her eyes widening.

"Wha'?"

Mai did not bother explaining anything, instead taking off for the river's edge before Valon could stop her (he had tried, but he was still woozy from the blow he'd suffered). She started wading into the water, praying that the dragons would not attack at this moment; they were still posturing, but Jou's eyes had gone to her and his gaze kept shifting between her and the other dragon.

Mai managed to make it just before the fight started once more, getting into the cover of the trees as the dragons slammed into each other. She tuned out the sounds of the battle raging in the river behind her, her eyes adjusting to the dim light of the forest and searching for signs that someone was nearby; the woods around her were silent, vacant of wildlife or other noise, and this made her search somewhat easier.

She had almost given up until she heard a twig snap from somewhere to her right and she stalked forward, parting the bushes she'd heard the sound from and peering down at the squatting figure in them. She caught them by the upper arm and hauling them to their feet. "And who might you be?"

The little boy growled, struggling in her grip. His long black hair had a few branches and leaves tangled in it and his stormy gray eyes glared up at her; he was wearing a navy colored tunic and gray pants, the cuffs of which were tucked into a pair of leather boots. A sword was at his side, though he'd not had a chance to draw it before she had grabbed him. He looked almost like a smaller, black-haired version of Ryou.

His next words ended that impression. "Let go of me! Leggo of me, you ugly old lady!" he snapped furiously.

Mai stared at the child in outrage and before she'd even realized what she was doing she slapped him. "Watch who you're calling ugly, you brat!" she retorted furiously, coloring.

The boy stared up at her, one hand going to his cheek. His eyes widened comically in surprise. "You slapped me," he said almost dazedly, staring at her in sudden trepidation.

"Of course I'm going to! You called me ugly _and_ old! What, you think you can get away with that?" she said fiercely.

"No one's ever slapped me before," he said, still dazed.

"Well there's a first time for everything, kid!"

There was the sound of rustling leaves and then Marik came through a break in the woods. He must have seen where she was going and had thought she was trying to escape. When his eyes landed on the boy, though, the lavender orbs widened in surprise. "Mokuba?"

The stupefied look on his face instantly vanished, replaced by an outraged one. "Marik," he spat venomously, blue-gray eyes narrowing in dislike. "I should have known you'd set this hag at me!"

"I ought to clock you," she grumbled, and to his credit the boy flinched. She looked up to the Enterran and asked, "So you seem like you know each other. Fill me in?"

Mokuba squirmed in her grip, cutting over Marik's reply. "Just wait until Seto hears about this! When he hears that you attacked us with your dragon _and_ set a witch on me—!"

"You _really_ need to watch your mouth, kiddo," she said darkly, earning another flinch from the child.

Marik shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose with a free hand. "I know him all right. Remember the man we told you about that is in charge of the dragons?"

Mai remembered Valon telling her about the "pain in the arse" master of the dragons that Valon had mentioned in one of their conversations yesterday and her eyes widened in comprehension. "Yes, I remember that…why, does this boy have something to do with him?"

"The master of the dragons has a younger brother." Marik gestured to Mokuba in with mock respect. "We seem to have our own brand of royalty out here. He must have been with the White Dragon and decided to watch from afar."

The boy snarled and struggled to break away from Mai. "If you don't want me telling Seto that you're causing me trouble you'll let me go, thief!"

"Not until we find out what's going on. This is the first time we've seen each other since your dragons started wreaking havoc on us. What's wrong?" asked Marik, his smirk fading. "We've never caused you problems before."

"Don't give me that!" Mokuba shouted, finally breaking free from Mai and drawing his sword. Mai recognized the blue light slightly emanating from the blade—this was another sword made with the scales of the White Dragon. "I had thought that you thieves had at least the tiniest shred of honor, but I was wrong! Bakura crossed a line and now you all are going to pay the consequences!"

Marik's face darkened. "What line? What did Bakura do? Say something that makes sense," he growled, but Mokuba lunged forward and slashed at him with the sword. "Mokuba!"

Mai easily caught the boy by the hair and yanked him back, hard enough to make him yelp and drop the sword but not so much that he would have hair pulled out. "Easy there, kid," she said. "I may not be in with this lot, but your dragon's trying to blast me too and I want to know what's going on."

Mokuba kicked her and she let out a startled gasp, releasing the child. The boy hit the dirt and scrambled to his feet, opening his mouth and preparing to call for the dragon when Marik caught him and put a hand over Mokuba's mouth and nose. "Oh no you don't. I've had enough of your dragon to last me a life time," he said exasperatedly, holding onto Mokuba until the child's struggles ceased and he slumped forward.

"You killed him!" Mai said, aghast.

"I did not," retorted Marik in annoyance. "I don't murder children. He's only unconscious, Highness—if I'd let him go he would have called for his dragon and believe me, the White Dragons are not known for their mercy."

She studied the unconscious child as Marik gently set him onto the grass, her brow furrowing as the sounds of the dragon's combat filtered in from behind her. "So…what now?"

"Mokuba sounded as if he's blaming us for something. If that's the case, his brother thinks we've done something to him," he mused, half-speaking to himself. "Why would he believe such a thing?"

"You seem to be in a hostage taking mood. Why not take Mokuba along with us?" she asked, partially joking. "We can get him to talk to us or at least ransom him back to his brother."

The Enterran's eyebrow rose as he thought this over. "That's actually not a bad idea," he said, much to her alarm. "It's not like he'll talk to us any other way…looks like you're thinking like us now. And here I thought you were a stuffy stuck up princess."

"Hold on, I was joking!" said Mai desperately as Marik flung Mokuba's body over his shoulder and he began picking his way through the undergrowth. The last thing Mai needed right now was to get caught in the middle of a ransom situation; she was already the subject of one such problem (one that she'd be rectifying soon enough, once Jou was done fighting the other dragon).

"Too late now," Marik retorted as he broke out of the forest and made his way to back across the marsh. The dragons were nowhere to be seen, but Valon was waiting for them anxiously on the other side of the river.

"'ey, Marik!" he called brightly, his face breaking into a relieved grin when he saw them coming back. He was on his feet and no longer looking as dazed as he had before. "The dragons took off into the sky couple of seconds ago," he continued, pointing above them. Mai looked up and through the clouds overhead she could see flashes of white and red lightning; through the breaks in the cloud bank she could see the two dragons snapping at each other and attacking viciously. "We prob'ly need t'…'ey, who's tha'?"

"Her Highness found Mokuba," he said wryly, handing Mokuba over to Valon before grabbing Mai's arm. "And you're right, we're leaving right now."

"Let go of me!" she snapped.

"I don't think so," Marik replied flatly. "I am well aware that the moment your dragon friend showed up you'd try to escape, so I'll just hang on to you."

Mai continued to struggle against him, resisting the tugging on her arm all the way back to the forest's edge. "Jou!"

There was an answering roar overhead and Jou descended through the clouds, hurtling toward them like a spear; he had nearly reached them when the other dragon slammed into him, knocking Jou back into the river and attacking him in a tangle of claws and fangs.

"No!" Mai pulled against him, but then Marik simply bent down and tossed her over his shoulder. "Put me down! JOU!"

She had one final glimpse of the black dragon starting to attack the larger one, trying to get to where she was, before Mai lost sight of him in the trees and they moved away from the river.

* * *

><p>Jou snarled as he snapped at the other dragon. Dragons for the most part had their own language, consisting of growls, whines, purrs, and roars; there were limited words that could be conveyed and conversations were often child-like in manner. This was why most dragons tried to learn to speak in the tongue of humans, but Jou did not have this option—he was not entirely a dragon and was cursed, so he was reduced to using the primitive language. <em>Jou must go! Let Jou go!<em>

_No,_ retorted the other dragon, growling deep in her throat as she bared her fangs at him. The other dragon was female and normally Jou would not dare hit a lady, but this was a _dragon_ and dragons did not necessarily follow the same etiquette as humans. She was quite capable of using the more advanced human language, but she must have deemed that using the child-like vocabulary of the dragons was an insult and spoke mockingly. _Jou attack Kisara. Kisara not stand for it._

He roared, tucking himself into a ball as he slammed into the larger dragon. _Let Jou pass!_

She easily held her ground, her tail knocking him sideways. _Not likely, kit._

_Kisara no understand! Mai taken away by two-legs! Two legs have Jou-mate!_

As soon as Jou said it he wanted to slap himself. Thank the Lord Mai was not here and did not understand the draconic language, because he was quite sure he would have to explain himself to her (and possibly get slapped). Dragons did not have many ways to call their acquaintances and the words for them were either "mate", "nest-mate" (for their siblings), or "kit" (which was interchangeable, depending on circumstance).

Nonetheless the White Dragon paused. _The humans took your mate?_

Jou whined, his tail thrashing as he tried to think of a way to explain that no, Mai was not _that_ kind of mate, but Kisara seemed to understand. _Not your mate, but your friend…her name must be Mai. Your human friend was the woman?_

_Yes,_ he replied, clearly relieved that he was understood.

She seemed to mull this over, examining the red, glowing wound in her paw briefly before letting out a sigh. _Pity. I sympathize with you, but I have my own obligation to my Master to fulfill and you are in the way. _

The white dragon barreled into him again and knocked him further out into the river. Jou regained his footing and lunged forward, but the larger dragon's head suddenly swiveled toward the forest beside her left flank and she looked uneasy. Her tail again batted the smaller dragon out of the way as her head vanished into the trees, rumbling.

Seconds later, her head emerged and she looked clearly agitated. _Mokuba? Where Mokuba?_ she called, reverting to the draconic language out of panic. _Mokuba gone, where Master's kit? _

Her head swept the area in agitation, her nostrils flaring as she tried to find whatever scent she was looking for, but then whined when she could not find it. _Gone, gone, must get Master. Two legged kit-attackers have Master's kit! _ she keened, looking utterly stricken.

Jou watched her warily, fully prepared to attack her once more and springing forward the moment he had the chance.

The other dragon turned neatly on her heel and took off over Jou's flying body, causing a squawk to burst out of Jou's throat as he hit the other side of the river. She paused and hovered in the air uncertainly, glaring at the smaller dragon. _Fight not over, mongrel-dragon_, she spat, fury and panic lighting her eyes. _You die next time._

_Jou not mongrel! _he snarled, outraged.

Kisara ignored him, taking off into the sky with a speed he had not thought possible. He snorted, growling at her; he had _so_ been winning that fight before she'd turned tail and fled. Take that! Whoever said that size won fights had not yet met Jou.

…Then again, the only reason he had been winning was likely because Kisara had been taking it easy, deciding he was not worth the effort…he shoved that thought away. He'd been winning that fight!

Never mind, he decided as he turned his attention to the forest where Mai had disappeared through. He had to find Mai, before Kisara came back and before he lost track of them again. He winced as pain made his body throb but was still able to take to the air, following the scent of flowers-and-spice into the darker part of the forest.

* * *

><p>Ryou blinked in surprise when he heard the commotion and peered over the platform's edge, noticing the small group coming back through the woods. He'd heard the sound of dragons fighting near the river and he had nearly been about to go out in search of the group; he would have left much sooner, but the healing potion had not finished and he needed to apply it to his injured leg before even thinking about tackling a ladder.<p>

He frowned when he noticed Marik carrying the struggling princess over his shoulder and Valon holding onto something small and unmoving in his arms. "What's going on?"

Marik grunted as Mai tried yet again to kick him. "We bumped into a spot of trouble by the river. Our hostage count has now risen to two," he called up to him, letting Valon go in front of him first.

"What are you—Mokuba?" Ryou questioned in disbelief, helping Valon up and taking the unconscious child from him. "Where on earth…Marik, you really shouldn't have brought him here," he continued uneasily. "The White Dragons can smell him, they'll recognize his scent—"

"But as Her Majesty pointed out—quit kicking me and climb the ladder before I hit you—this could be our only chance to talk to Kaiba," said Marik, forcing Mai to climb up the wooden ladder and onto the platform. "Besides, I wounded one of his dragons with Dragon's Bane. It wasn't as effective as it was on the princess's dragon, but I'm willing to bet that it'll be favoring its wound for a while."

Ryou noticed Mai's mutinous expression and the petulant way she'd folded her arms over her chest, looking fully prepared to start attacking anyone. "And what has got the princess bothered?"

"'er dragon friend showed up," said Valon, looking halfway impressed. "I coulda sworn 'e woulda kicked the bucket already, but it seems tha' 'e's got the Devil's luck."

Ryou glanced at where Mai was mutinously eyeing them, then shifted his attention to the feebly stirring child in his arms. "There's no way around it, then," he sighed, reaching for some nearby rope. "Valon, could you tie up Mokuba? Not so tight that he loses circulation, but enough to keep him from running."

"Sure," replied Valon, bending down to pick up Mokuba and carrying him to the nearest tree trunk. He set the boy against it and started tying him to it. By the time he'd finished, though, Mokuba had regained consciousness fully and was glaring at them all.

"Let me go!" he snarled, fighting his bonds. "Valon, I didn't think you were in with this crowd!"

The teenager shrugged. "Sorry, kiddo, but I kinda don' 'ave anywhere else to be. Otherwise I wouldn' be 'ere—'sides, they aren' all that bad."

"I don't care! You wouldn't have associated with these thieves if your friends were still around!"

Valon's facial expression went stony. "Yeah? Well they aren' 'ere, now are they?" he retorted, looking both stung and angry.

Mokuba glared. "Alister would have never stood for this and you know it, you—"

"Easy there, Mokuba," said Marik flatly. "Valon's not the one who took you. I decided to drag you along with us—don't have your dragons start attacking the forest folk out or send them to the castle to attack Valon's friends out of retaliation."

Mai finally seemed to snap out of whatever angry mood she'd been in, visibly starting. "Alister?" she asked, incredulity coloring her voice. "You mean that cranky archer at the palace is one of your friends?"

Valon jumped, seeming to have forgotten Mai temporarily, but something on his features brightened almost immediately at her words. "You've met Alister?" he asked, sounding suddenly hopeful. "'ow is 'e? Is 'e okay? Wha' 'bout Raph, 'ave you met 'im?"

"Raph?" she repeated skeptically. "Who's that?"

Valon beamed at her but did not get the chance to reply—Marik had given him a pointed look to silence himself and the other teenager complied with the subtle request. The Enterran regarded their prisoner and said conversationally, "Look, Mokuba, we don't want you here any more than you want to be here."

"Oh yeah? Then untie me."

"We apologize, Mokuba," said Ryou. "But we need answers. You're the only one besides your older brother who knows what's going on. I for one don't understand why you're attacking us."

Mokuba seemed to deflate slightly under Ryou's steady gaze. "Because it had to be you guys," he burst out at last, looking both angry and miserable. His voice was slightly desperate as he continued. "There was no one else who knew about the kits, no one else who knew where the White Dragons are nesting and no one else who could have done it!"

Marik and Ryou looked troubled. "Done what?" asked Ryou gently. "Mokuba, what do you think we did to your dragon's kits?"

Mai was beginning to get an understanding of what was going on here; it had taken her a brief moment to understand what Mokuba meant by "kits" but when she'd heard him say something about a nesting site it all fell into place. The boy's defensive nature over the kits, the dragon's unmerciful and unyielding attacks on the thieves, the fact that both he and his brother were furious and refused to listen to reason… "He's under the impression that you've harmed one of the dragon's babies," she said calmly, confident that was the answer.

All three faces of the men darkened. "Mokuba," said Marik sternly, "You know better than that. We have no need to harm one of the White Dragon's kits. Why would you think that?"

Mokuba glowered. "Because one of the kits was completely de-scaled on one side!" he snarled. "The only reason anyone would do something like that would be for monetary gain. You're thieves and you know where we live."

"Mokuba, see reason," said Ryou patiently. "If we wanted dragon scales to sell we would have robbed Yugi of them, he keeps a whole cabinet full of them in his stores. Even Bakura knows better than to de-scale a dragon kit—especially one of the White Dragon's."

"What does de-scale mean?" asked Mai in an undertone, directing it at Valon. "You de-scale a fish, certainly, but what does it mean when you do the same thing on a baby dragon?"

"Nothin' good, Mai," he replied darkly. "De-scalin' is when you yank scales out when they aren' ready. On the older dragon's it don' 'urt as much since they've got layers of scales t' protect 'em, but on young ones…"

"It can be fatal," said Marik, overhearing their conversation. "There's only one layer of scales on a kit and they're flexible, basically attached to their skin. The scales aren't meant to fall out until the kit's about three years old, so to take any scales off of them before then is basically flaying the kit."

Marik sighed. "Coupled with the fact that White Dragons only nest and have kits once every ten years, it's no wonder everyone involved is suddenly so defensive."

Mai winced at the mental image, suddenly understanding the anger from all who were associated with this unfortunate baby dragon. "Is it still alive?" she asked Mokuba, hoping it was. She couldn't imagine anyone deliberately harming any kind of infant, be it dragon or human.

The child glared at her, but when he noticed that she was not angry or trying to mock him he met her gaze reluctantly. "It's—"

The sound of branches snapping overhead was the only warning they got before something dropped in from overhead, landing in the clearing with an earth-trembling _thwump_ and snarling at them ferociously.

"Jou!" Mai said, surprised and delighted when her eyes landed on the dragon.

He had gotten away from the other dragon, she thought with relief…that had to mean he had won his fight (either that or the other dragon had let him go for some reason). He was carrying himself gingerly because of his new injuries and the pain he must be feeling from his still-healing wounds from Dragon's Bane, but beyond that he looked perfectly fine.

Jou roared, glowering at the group huddled on the platform as lightning built in his jaws. His red eyes drifted to Mai to make certain she was allright, then swiveled to Dragon's Bane, currently still in Marik's hand. His eyes glowed with anger but he did not move, however, and the lightning crackled menacingly in his jaws; the red-tinted electricity bounced off his scales harmlessly.

Marik brandished the sword and Jou growled, backing away as the Enterran moved to the edge of the platform. "You recognize this, don't you?" he questioned, holding it out for the dragon's inspection. "So you know exactly what will happen if I attack you with this."

Jou snarled, his tail hitting the ground agitatedly. He did not back down, however, his lips curling back over his teeth and continuing to posture. Mai feared that this would turn into another fight at the cave, but this time with a less-than-desirable outcome; Jou was already hurt by the sword and those wounds had been reopened in the fight. Could he really afford to fight the sword again?

In the next second, however, Jou let out a startled whine as something black and sinewy looped itself over his snout and pulled it shut, the lightning in his jaws vanishing abruptly vanishing. The substance wound itself over his wings and pinned them to his back as it also trapped Jou's arms and legs. A startled growl escaped Jou's throat before he toppled over, unable to balance; he barely avoided their tree as he crashed to the earth.

Mai took this chance to scramble to the ladder and haphazardly descended it before anyone could stop her. "Jou!" she cried, dropping the last few feet to the ground and hurrying to the fallen dragon's side.

Before she could reach him, though, someone caught her arm and yanked her backwards. The force of the tug knocked her off her feet and she hit the ground. "I think not, Highness. He's fine right where he is," said an unpleasantly familiar voice as its owner blocked her path.

Bakura towered over her, completely ignoring the flailing dragon behind him. He looked extremely unconcerned as he studied her; his face was lit by a strange golden light as something on his chest gleamed beneath the folds of his shirt.

"I leave you lot alone for a couple of days and you somehow manage to lead a dragon to my favorite hideaway. Spectacular," he said at last, his eyes moving upward to focus on the people in the tree above them. "There had better be a _very_ good explanation behind this."


	13. Taking Care of Business

_FINALLY OMG YAY I CAN ACCESS THIS STORY._

_I had this chapter done much much earlier, but FanFiction would not let me into this story when I went to the "Manage Stories" tab in my account. I FINALLY managed to get it open and I'm putting it up now before that window closes._

_BTW, there are several cameos in here. Maybe you can spot them?_

* * *

><p>Bakura eyed the group with distinct irritation, his mahogany colored eyes going from to Mai to Marik, then Ryou, then to Valon, and then to the dragon still struggling on the ground behind him; when his gaze returned to her Mai heard the group in the tree come down to ground level. Mai kept glancing at the glowing object around the man's neck, unable to make out what it was through the light but still determined to do so.<p>

"All right, I can explain," said Ryou at last, stepping forward and breaking the uneasy silence. "It's an explanation I don't think you'll be fond of, Bakura, but I do have one."

The other white-haired man turned his attention to Ryou, studying him intently and something silent passing between them; while the two of them were staring at each other Valon helped Mai to her feet and Marik flanked her other side, holding her in place.

At length Bakura growled, breaking eye contact. "You're right, it's not one I'm terribly fond of," he said irritably, startling her. "Where is the little dragon brat, anyway?"

Mai stared. They had not even spoken, nor had there been any letters exchanged. How did Bakura know of Mokuba? There was no way he could have found out without Ryou telling him—unless Bakura had read his mind. But that was impossible!

_It's not _that_ impossible, given everything else that was seemingly impossible happened, _pointed out an inner voice wryly. _For all you know this Thief King has that ability._

Great. So everything she was thinking could be heard by Bakura? That was just stupendous. Now what? If Bakura read her thoughts about Jou and the curse he was under…no, if he even found out about the spell book dealing in Shadow magic she was done for.

"He's up there," said Ryou, pointing to the platform. "Bakura, don't be too harsh with him—"

"Too harsh?" repeated Bakura, sounding annoyed. "When his brother nearly obliterated my band of thieves because he was under the impression I harmed one of his stupid dragon's kits? He did not even ask me!"

"Being angry with Mokuba or harming him won't convince Kaiba that you didn't do anything," said Ryou quietly. "It'll only convince him you're guilty and give him more probable cause to pursue this."

"He and his brother have judged me unfairly," snapped the other man angrily. He gestured to Marik and Valon vaguely as he continued. "What of those who were killed or fled because of them? The band of thieves I formed—"

"—can be formed again," said Ryou firmly. "Bakura, it might be worthwhile to hear what Mokuba has to say. Maybe you can offer insight on the matter and try to clear this up."

Bakura fumed silently for a few moments before he growled, looking to the dragon behind him. "And of this dragon…well," he began, sneering at the glower Jou was directing at him. "You are quite the stubborn fool, aren't you? One would think you would stay away after what happened last time we met."

The dragon rumbled, trying to lift his head off the ground. Lightning crackled along his closed jaws.

"Ah ah," said the thief tauntingly. "I wouldn't try that if I were you. It may not be Shadow magic, but I daresay it's enough to hold you in place—try breaking loose and your efforts will be visited on you by a hundred fold."

He then turned to where Mai was and drew an ornate dagger. Valon froze when Bakura dragged her forward and tipped the point of the knife under her chin, and Jou let out a strangled sound that was a mix between a whine and a snarl. "Besides, you need this woman to break the curse on you. Don't look at me as if I haven't figured it out," he added, noticing Mai's aghast expression and the way Jou had frozen. "I'm quite clever when I have to be and Ryou only confirmed my suspicions."

She managed to turn around and glared at Ryou, who held up his hands defensively.

Marik, who had put a hand on Valon's shoulder to stop him from striding forward, looked to Bakura after he had released Mai and handed him the sword. "It is not as effective on the White Dragon as it was for this one," he explained, gesturing to the snarling Jou.

Bakura studied the blade, releasing Mai as he took the sword into his hands. "I figured as much," he said at last, sheathing it. "Diamonds cut diamonds, so the same applies to the White Dragon. We'll need an actual sword made from the White Dragon's scales to cause it harm. Dragon's Bane still did some damage though, correct?"

"Correct."

As if on cue Mokuba snarled from somewhere above them, "Don't you already have the materials needed to make a sword, you—you—_kit murderer!"_

Mai felt her heart sink. So the baby dragon had died after all.

Bakura scowled up at the tree. "You blithering idiot. Why would I need scales from your dragon's kit?" he asked. "And why would I de-scale a _baby_? Their scales aren't worth anything weapon-wise unless you take almost all of them! If anything, I'd de-scale an adult first!" he called up to Mokuba.

"It proves nothing! You could have stolen them to sell for money!"

"Yes, because clearly the _Thief King_ is in desperate need of funds," muttered Bakura sarcastically, scowling at the group before pinching the bridge of his nose. "All right. I am going to talk to the dragon brat, then I'm having a word with our royal guest. Valon, get out of here—you've worn out your welcome and if you aren't going to join our band you've got no business hanging around."

Valon glowered at the other man. "Maybe I reckon I oughta stick 'ere f'r a bit," he said, deliberately calm as he leaned against the tree.

Bakura snorted. "Suit yourself, but if you keep hanging around I'll either kill you or turn you into a thief."

Mai moved closer to where Jou was still struggling, resting a hand gently on his flank. The dragon's movements instantly ceased and a ruby-colored eye swiveled to her, a distressed whine in his throat.

"I'm fine, Jou," she said, tilting her chin to show that Bakura's knife had not left any injuries on her. "Just take it easy—you've done enough for the moment."

The dragon rumbled again, looking somewhat reassured.

Mai looked up to the tree, where Bakura was just disappearing from view, and uncertainty swept over her. Now that Bakura knew about the spell book, what was going to happen now?

* * *

><p>Kisara flew through the clouds, her wings carrying on the breeze and propelling her forward. Her scales gleamed in the sunlight and every now and then the wind would lift a couple of them; her scales armored her body and very rarely lifted up, a reason why White Dragons were impervious to most harm. They also streamlined her flying, making her faster than most.<p>

Her paw hurt and throbbed from where _two-leg kit-murderer_ had stabbed her, but her focus was straight in front of her, making her way to the snow covered mountain as fast as she could fly. The wound was enchanted, certainly, but it could not harm her for long. It was minor as far as she was concerned—she had more important concerns. She had lost Master's kit and she needed to tell him as quickly as possible.

In the distance she could see the fiery mountain where the smaller dragon—Jou, if she remembered the name right—lived and she snorted. She had bumped into the _mongrel-dragon_ several times in the past, but he had never sought to pick a fight with her; she and the other White Dragons had made it clear that their territory was off limits to the smaller dragon, not to mention that the black-scaled creature seemed to have other things on its agenda. The only reason he had fought her today was that the _two-leg _female had been involved.

Why any creature would risk so much for a _two-leg_ was beyond her understanding.

(Master was not a _two-leg_ to her—Master was Master).

She felt the welcoming bite of cold air as it passed through the membranes of her wings and a contented sigh escaped her. The forest's weather was mild this time of year and not as hot as it had been years past, but her home would always be the frigid snow of the mountain.

She hovered, eyeing the large hole in the side of the mountain where her nest was. She wanted to check on her kit, to make sure that it was still alive. Fortune had not been with her this year and Kisara only had one kit, though her sister had three others; the other two male dragons had taken off weeks ago, knowing that nesting mothers did not like male dragons near their vulnerable kits until they were at least a year old.

Kisara was torn for a few seconds before coming to a decision and letting out a trumpeting call.

There was a pause before a white-scaled head came out of the cave; she could see small bodies tumbling after the dragon and hear the squeals of the three other kits as they followed after their mother. _Sister?_ asked the smaller dragon. _You look upset. What has happened?_

_Does my kit live? _she returned, flapping her wings to keep herself in the air.

_…Yes, but not for much longer, Sister,_ replied the younger dragon quietly. _Master's kit has been most merciful to it by applying poultices to numb the pain, but without its scales…_

_I know,_ said Kisara, a whine escaping her throat. She'd been afraid of such an answer, but it was one that was logical considering what had happened.

She would have gone into the cave to see her kit for herself but then, over the sound of the wind blowing against the mountain, a piercing musical note sounded.

She tilted her head, suddenly remembering why she had returned to the mountains: her Master was calling.

_Continue to watch over my little one for me, Bennu, _she said at last, turning neatly in the air and diving toward the earth in break-neck speed; she pulled up only when the trees rushed to meet her and landed gracefully, her wings tucking at her sides instantly.

Her Master was waiting for her, the _music-stick_ still in his hands; Master called it "the Dragon's Flute" and whenever he played it she knew it was the signal for her to come to his side. It was a sound only heard by dragons and Master used it only when he needed one of his dragons. He must have seen her returning and he waited until she had landed before speaking.

"Where's Mokuba, Kisara?" he asked, frowning when he saw no sign of the child. "Is he with the kit?"

She shook her large head. _ I found the kit-murderer, Master, but they have Master's kit,_ she replied, growling unhappily at her failure to protect the child.

She was not afraid that her Master would not understand what she was saying: the _two-leg_ family whose descendents had looked after her kind for millennia had long since learned how to interpret the language of the dragons and could converse with them as readily as if they were human.

His blue eyes, whose color closely matched her own sapphire orbs, narrowed dangerously. "The thieves have Mokuba?" he growled, the sound matching hers. "How did this happen?"

_Mongrel-dragon attacked me when I was trying to kill the kit-murderers and I lost track of Master's kit,_ she replied, her head lowering further and a small whine escaping her throat. She knew now that she should have made certain Master's kit had been safe before attacking—the thieves had harmed her only hatchling, though, and her anger had drowned out her caution. _I'm sorry, Master. I failed you._

He studied her for a long moment before holding his hand out to her. She tipped her snout into the palm of his (comparatively small) hand and whined again. His eyes went to the wound in her paw and he asked, "Was it an enchanted blade that cut you?"

_Yes, but do not fear, Master—it is insignificant compared to what has happened._

"Insignificant my foot," he retorted, disappearing briefly back inside the small stone manor; he returned moments later with a clay jar. He dipped his hand inside the jar and smeared a long but thin trail of sweet smelling paste across the cut. A gentle, slow warmth worked its way into the wound.

He wiped his hand on a towel and studied the injury, which was already beginning to close. "I need you to be in perfect condition, Kisara, even if it's an 'insignificant' injury," he said, nodding in satisfaction when the new scales covered the injury.

He set the jar down and noticed the guilty expression on the dragon's face. "Don't beat yourself up too much, Kisara," he said quietly. Master did not like showing emotion, but when he did it was usually only for the dragons in his keep or his younger brother. "It was your own kit that was attacked. I understand your anger and your need to exact vengeance."

She whined again, sensing she had been forgiven. _I know where they nest, where the kit-murderers scurry and hide like insects_, she replied, snarling beneath his hand. _I could smell them on the wind when I was returning to you._

The sympathy vanished. In its place came a cold fury that made the snow on the mountain seem warm. "Then take me to them. It is time that these thieves were properly disciplined," he said icily, moving to her side. "Their first mistake was harming one of the kits—their second was taking my brother."

Understanding what he intended to do, Kisara flattened herself out as much as she could so that Master could get onto her back without too much trouble. She waited until he had gotten situated before instantly springing from the ground and into the air; Master was an expert rider when it came to dragons, so she did not fear him falling off of her.

She hurtled through the clouds and then took flight, beginning to follow her path back to the clearing where she had lost Master's kit and to where she could still catch his scent on the wind, and roared.

* * *

><p>"How many times do I have to tell you that I had nothing to do with the de-scaling of your brother's damnable dragon kit, brat?" asked Bakura, glaring at the child.<p>

Mokuba stuck his chin out defiantly. "Then tell me of someone else who knows of our dragon's nesting grounds, thief," he retorted.

Ryou sighed. "Mokuba, that's not exactly secret knowledge. Anyone who knows of the White Dragons knows that they always nest somewhere in the mountains to the north. They prefer cold climates to nest in—it could have been any one of those people."

"Yeah?" Mokuba shot back. "Name someone besides you guys that knows their _exact_ nesting site."

"You would have seen us, Mokuba," said Marik, idly sharpening his dagger with a whetstone. "If nothing else your dragons would have caught our scents when we set foot in their caves. They've got hoards to guard in addition to kits, you know."

"You guys were clever," the child said angrily. "You must have masked your scents with potion. Don't tell me you don't know how to make it either, Ryou," he added. "That potion is your specialty—Bakura always uses it on your heists to fool the dogs the nobles set on you."

"That may be so," said Ryou patiently, "but that potion does not hide anything from dragons. Their sense of smell is too heightened for that—the only one who can alter that potion to work on dragons is Yugi."

"And how do I know you didn't steal the potion from him?" Mokuba countered, his tone holding a challenging note to it. "Don't tell me you haven't tried to break in before!"

Bakura growled, slamming his fist into the tree trunk. "Do you know how many times I've nearly been killed trying to break into Yugi's store? Too many to risk it again," he snarled, cutting over Mokuba's reply. "I'm telling you, child, that I had nothing to do with your kit's injuries!"

"Yeah? Prove it."

While all of this was going on above them, Mai had been down with Jou, trying to find a way to free him from his current bindings; she could hear the conversation from where she was, but frankly her interest was elsewhere. She had no idea what on earth he had been bound with but the black, sinewy rope that was holding Jou in place was something she'd never seen before. She was willing to bet that Bakura had also been endowed with a magical ability, based on what she'd seen earlier—though that odd glowing object around his neck was something she was definitely interested in.

She tried yet again to pull one of the ropes away from Jou's snout, withholding her shudder at the slimy cold feeling beneath her palms before tugging as hard as she could backwards. "Come on," she growled. "Let go of him!"

The rope proved too slippery, though, and Mai let out a startled squeal as it slipped through her fingers. She stumbled, nearly losing her balance. Jou's eyes widened and he let out a muffled whine.

"Gotcha, Mai," said a chipper voice as a pair of arms stopped her from hitting the ground. She looked up into Valon's grinning face and shoved him away from her.

"Don't you have some place to be or something else to do?" she asked irritably. "You know, like singing to a tree or killing an ogre?"

"Ogres live in swamps, love, 'n' only girls sing t' trees," said Valon dismissively. "The nymphs get downright touchy if guys come around. Oh, and come t' think of it there's an ogre tha's actually kinda nice in one of the southern swamps—'e's got a funny name, don' rightly remember what it is."

Mai opened her mouth, then decided against replying—she had not intended for a serious answer to be given.

Jou rumbled threateningly as his eyes focused on the Aurosian, glaring menacingly at Valon.

Valon did not back off, instead grinning broadly at the trapped dragon. "I c'n do as I like, mate," he said cheerfully, putting an arm around Mai's shoulders jovially. The intensity of Jou's growls increased. "So if I wanna talk to your lady friend I will."

Mai rolled her eyes and slipped out from under Valon's arm, flouncing over to Jou's side and flopping onto the grass. She leaned against the dragon and folded her hands on her lap; she could feel the heat that his scales were generating through her dress and in the cooling shadows stealing onto the forest it was quite comfortable. She might actually nap for a bit. "Grow up, boys," she said lazily, closing her eyes.

The sound of footsteps entered her hearing and she opened one of her eyes lazily, thinking it was Valon. She was surprised when Marik sat down on a nearby rock, pulling out the whetstone and sharpening his knife again. Jou's head halfway turned and he growled menacingly, but the Enterran was not worried.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised. "I thought you were with Bakura, interrogating your latest addition to your hostage collection," she continued.

"He asked me to make sure you didn't try to go anywhere," Marik replied boredly. "He doesn't entirely trust Valon when it comes matters like this—for all we know he could let you go and then where would we be?"

Mai glanced over at Valon, who was busy taunting Jou (she could feel Jou's growls rumbling through his body), and sighed. "Well at least hold a conversation. I'm bored too, you know, and the only other people who can talk to me at the moment are engaging in stupidity."

Marik glanced at her with raised eyebrows before looking back at his knife. "All right—talk."

It was obvious Marik did not like her enough to talk about himself without a bit of prompting, so Mai said bluntly, "If I'm going to talk to you, you're going to have to say more than three words."

"Forgive me if I'm not a conversationalist," he replied shortly.

"Forgive me for avoiding boredom," she retorted. "So what part of Enterra are you from?"

He hesitated, clearly seeing if he could avoid the conversation, but when Mai folded her arms over her chest and waited patiently for an answer he let out a sigh. "My clan was near the center of Enterra, more toward Luxos," he admitted reluctantly.

"The city of Ancients?" she said, surprised.

Luxos was not the capital city of Enterra, but it had long been known as the city belonging to the ancient Enterran kings of the past; legend had it that it was a place of concentrated magic because so many powerful kings had been laid to rest outside of the city. Luxos also carried infamy as well—to any tomb raiders or thieves, the tombs of the ancient kings were open targets. Mai did not doubt that Bakura's newly acquired Dragon's Bane came from one of those tombs.

Given that knowledge, though, the fact Marik was with thieves was doubly perplexing. "Your people frown upon those who rob tombs, especially if you were so close to Luxos."

Marik laughed, the sound oddly hollow. "You'd be right. My clan was one of many that guard the tombs of the Kings. Our lives were supposed to be solely dedicated to guarding the tombs. It was nothing but nonsense—I would have spent my life guarding a dead noble," he said bitterly.

"…You've obviously overcome any qualms about breaking your clan's tradition."

"Wouldn't you, if you had to live underground to guard some dead king's tomb?" Marik growled, glowering at her.

"Why would you do that? Imitating moles, are we?" she asked sardonically.

This probably was not the best comment to make, as Marik's entire countenance darkened and his hand gripped the handle of the dagger tightly. "It's likely because the tomb was underground," he ground out. "I would think that obvious."

Mai kept her ground, though now she was a bit more wary of the knife. "Does your clan know what you're doing?" she asked. "I would think they would be at least a little—"

"I could hardly care what they think," Marik retorted, his eyes flashing. "They wronged me, so I see no reason to care for whatever petty, idiotic thoughts they're harboring."

She frowned. "How'd they wrong you? What, they didn't let you step outside to see any singing daisies or something?"

Some part of Mai's mind—her more cautious part—was warning her that pushing Marik like this was not in her best interest, especially when she saw that Marik's knuckles were turning white as the grip on the dagger tightened. This was further validated when Marik suddenly shot to his feet, glaring at her furiously. Mai went to her feet as well, not willing to let him think he had control over her in the slightest; from behind her she felt two pairs of eyes, one crimson and one blue, lock onto them.

"They've wronged me in ways your pitiful mind could hardly comprehend, all in the name of preserving our clan and keeping traditions," he hissed menacingly, his eyes lit with an age-old fury. "And it's not just them. It's people like you and your petty Prince that have wronged me as well. If you have even the slightest bit of common sense, _woman_, you will stop speaking about what you don't understand."

Mai's chin lifted. "I'm beginning to think you blindly hate anyone with royal blood, without any sort of proper reasoning," she said coldly. "How have I angered you, let alone wronged you? I don't even know you, thief."

The Enterran's posture stiffened and the already present fire in his eyes grew. "How have _you_ wronged me? How about your society, _Highness_?" he said, a bitter edge to his words. "All of you, always trying to get the edge over each other, always worried about whether or not your dress is better than everyone else's and whether you're aware of the latest trends—you don't care about whose lives you ruin, just as long as you get what you want and as long as you have something that no one else has!"

"Whose life do I ruin if I wear a silk dress?" she snarled. "Materialistic, am I? How about you? You trod on the dead, steal from the living, and in some of your raids on villages innocent lives are lost and ruined—all for the sake of wealth! If there's anyone around here who doesn't care about ruining other lives it's _you_!"

Marik looked as if he was struggling not to hit her and his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides angrily; one of those times his hand accidentally gripped the blade of the knife he'd been sharpening and blood started dripping from his cut palm.

Jou let out a low, warning growl, his red eyes locked onto Marik and the muscles beneath his scales tensing; red lightning once again started traveling along his locked jaws. Valon also tensed, looking torn as to whether he should intervene (and on whose behalf he would be intervening on).

"All right, children, break it up," said Bakura irritably as he stalked in between them, grabbing Mai's arm and dragging her backwards. Marik broke eye contact and glowered instead at the ground. "I don't need a dead noble on my hands, especially since I'm ransoming her off."

"So what'd Mokuba say? Didja convince 'im t' lay off?" asked Valon.

"Is it really any of your business? It does not concern you to begin with. Earlier today I asked you to leave. It's not a request anymore. Either get away or join my band of thieves, but idly wandering around us will not be allowed any longer. We aren't replacements for your lost friends—find someone else to trail after," said Bakura flatly.

Valon scowled, fury and hurt flickering in his eyes before he looked away.

Bakura looked incredibly unbothered by this reaction, instead looking to Marik and noticing the bloody hand. His eyes rolled and he said, "For pity's sake, I've already got nearly three quarters of my men out with injuries. Clean that up and get ready to head out. We're leaving."

Mai frowned, backing up until Jou's body was against her back. "I don't suppose you'd be nice enough to let me go about on my merry way," she said sardonically. "I mean, I have so much to do and this battle of yours with the dragons—"

"Oh yes, and while I'm at it I'll make sure that you're carried back by a white pumpkin carriage to your little castle. Oh I think _not_," replied Bakura sarcastically. "I have use for you, remember? I still have to collect on the money you're paying me."

"What about your hideout?"

Ryou smiled wanly. "We're leaving it," he said. "I've no doubt that this is no longer a 'secret' hideout—the dragons under the care of Mokuba and his brother have heightened senses of smell. They probably know exactly where we are, so we're leaving Mokuba."

"_You _are leaving Mokuba. _I _am fighting his idiot brother and ending this one way or another," Bakura said flatly, patting Dragon's Bane. "I want you lot to stay clear of this."

"Not a problem f'r me," said Valon brusquely, still stung. He rose to his feet and bowed sarcastically to Bakura. "I's not any o' my business, as was pointed out earlier so…bye."

Without another word he strode across the clearing, leaping over a fallen log and vanishing from view almost instantly. Mai wanted to call him back—he was the only one of this lot that had been friendlier to her than most. Ryou was a bit too formal and Marik hardly liked her, and Bakura probably hated her; her only ally at the moment was Jou, who was currently tied up.

"Good riddance. I don't need a little tag along following after me," muttered the thief. "Now, Ryou, Marik, get out of here. I need someone to look after what's left of my band of thieves—if nothing else, one of you has to take charge of them."

"You're sounding like you're going into this with every intention of—Bakura, don't you dare," said Ryou sharply, seeming to understand what Bakura was driving at (though Mai had no idea how—that mysterious telepathy was at play again). "You are _not_ playing martyr."

"I have no intentions of dying. Getting horribly maimed, likely, but dying is not on my agenda. Besides, you know as well as I do that it's a little harder to kill me these days," retorted the other white-haired man.

Mai stared. She had just gotten done running around the entire forest for the day. She'd fulfilled that particular quota, thank you kindly, and the prospect of walking further was not appealing to her in the slightest. "Can't you reason with him?"

"We could if the dragon kit was not near death," said Ryou tiredly, rubbing his eyes. "But even so I don't think Kaiba will forgive us for taking Mokuba. We haven't harmed him, though, so perhaps he might give us a head start."

She felt oddly relieved to hear the baby was alive. "If the kit's alive, that's great. Use a healing potion on it. You've used one on me and Valon, and on yourself. It's not like you don't have the ability," Mai pointed out.

"It's not so simple, Highness. Most potions and enchanted objects don't work on dragons unless they hold magical components that specifically aid or harm a dragon—most spells have parts of a dragon in it and it usually acts as a buffer to prevent harm from coming to a dragon," explained Ryou. "When it comes to White Dragons in particular…well. Believe me, we tried. Mokuba even has gone to Yugi before to find a potion and Yugi couldn't find one…though don't mention it to Mokuba that I know that. They do have a salve that works on minor wounds, but it won't work on the amount of damage done to a kit."

Again this "Yugi" had come up. Mai would _have _to learn who he was—maybe when she wasn't so concerned about dying or escaping, perhaps.

Jou's eyes widened and he let out a whine, his tail slapping the ground weakly to catch her attention. Mai looked to him with a confused frown, wondering what he was trying to do: he had started trying to point his snout toward his flank and was looking at her urgently before back to his side.

Mai stared. What was he…?

He huffed, once again directing his head to his side and then looking to her pointedly, growling impatiently. She didn't understand what he was trying to do—all that was on his side was a cut, no swords or weapons that could help him. What good would that do?

Wait a minute. It was a half-healed cut, one that had been inflicted by Dragon's Bane. The only reason it had healed was because of the healing spring…

_Healing spring. _ Now she got what Jou was trying to tell her.

"Wait, I've got it!" she said, snapping her fingers and directing the men's gazes to her. "What if there _was _a way to heal the kit?"

Bakura raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do tell."

"Ryou, you seem to be a person savvy with magic. What about a healing spring? Would that work on the kit's wounds?" she asked.

Ryou's brow furrowed and Bakura suddenly looked much more interested; Marik's eyebrows rose and he said, "You know where there is a healing spring?"

Mai ignored them, watching Ryou instead with a touch of impatience. If what they were telling her about this Kaiba was true he would be here any minute—time was of the essence, especially if he was going to murder them all.

At last, Ryou said slowly, "It might. No one's ever really found out if it works on dragons since healing springs are very difficult to find, but it is rumored to cure all ails. It might possibly work on a White Dragon, but then again it might not. Nobody's ever doused an injured White Dragon in healing water."

"I can assure you that it works on dragons," said Mai flatly, gesturing to Jou. "His own injuries are already halfway healed, though they don't look like it because he fought one of those dragons earlier."

Bakura's eyes narrowed. "I'd wondered how he'd recovered so quickly from Dragon's Bane's wounds," he admitted reluctantly. "Usually it's potent with dragons, though nothing ever seems to kill a White Dragon."

"There you have it," Mai said. "Look, I know where the healing spring is and I can bring back some of the water. You can talk to Mokuba and convince him to tell his brother about it, and _voila_. You've solved the problem."

"Not so fast," Marik interrupted. "We don't know how effective it will be on the kit. Remember, it's not tested on the White Dragons—for all we know we could raise their hopes pointlessly and then dash them when it doesn't work."

"It's at least worth a shot, though," said Bakura slowly. "It'll get those insufferable idiots off my back for a while, if nothing else."

"It could also be considered a peace offering," Ryou offered thoughtfully.

Bakura mulled this over, but then he scowled as he looked back to Mai. "If you think for one minute that I'm letting you go get this water, though, you're sadly mistaken. You could just run away before I know it and then what would I do for the ransom?"

Mai sensed that he was leaning toward not letting her leave—it was justified, though, considering what her current position was at the moment. All right, time to turn on the charm and lay on her own ransom: she had the perfect bait for her idea, too.

"Okay," she said brightly, startling them all. "I mean, it's no skin off my nose if you end up blasted to smithereens. If I end up dead too it's no trouble—I mean, all those maps at home are just going to have to go to waste."

Bakura looked less annoyed and suddenly much more interested. "What maps?"

"Oh, nothing really. Just a couple of them with the hidden trade routes in and out of Enterra," she said airily, waving her hand dismissively and pretending not to notice the way Bakura's (and Marik's, surprisingly) had lit up. "But if I end up blown into itty bitty bits by the White Dragon it won't much matter, will it?"

The white-haired thief abruptly turned his back on her, gesturing Ryou and Marik into a huddle and beginning a very quiet debate; she had no doubts as to what the subject was. She shot a thumbs up and a wink to Jou, who quietly chortled (he'd caught onto what she was doing earlier, and she had no doubts that at least Ryou had figured her plan out as well).

At last, the huddle broke and Bakura snapped his fingers. The black rope binding Jou to the ground instantly vanished and the dragon instantly shot to his feet, shaking himself off and obviously trying to regain the blood flow through his limbs.

"So? What's the verdict, hun?" she asked saucily, already knowing the answer.

Bakura knew it too, since he growled and looked at a point over her shoulder. "Here's the deal, woman. I let you go get the water—_nothing else_—and you bring it back here to us," he said grudgingly. "In exchange, you send me the maps you spoke of when you return to Thystia."

"I figured you would see things my way," she began, but Bakura irritably held up a hand and she quieted.

"Hold on, Highness. I said you could get the water, but I never said anything about letting you go alone. Marik's going with you to make sure you don't deviate on the way," he said, ignoring the way they both started to bristle. "By the way, even if you kill him and dump his body somewhere you still have one thing that has to call you back," he continued, holding up the spell book. "I'm aware that this old thing has some importance to you and your dragon friend there, so keep in mind that I can burn it should you fail to return in a timely fashion."

The moment Bakura had finished speaking both Marik and Mai snapped out protests at the same time, prompting him to raise his eyebrows at them. "I was not aware I was offering you a choice in the matter," he said idly, though there was a warning edge to his words. "I don't care what sort of argument you had earlier—kiss and make up, then _get going._"

Jou rumbled indignantly, his fangs baring.

"Oh for pity's sake, you overgrown lizard, I did not mean literally!" snapped the thief, storming to the tree and starting up the ladder. "Come, Ryou—you're better with talking to the brat, so get up here and help me convince him not to let his brother blow us all to smithereens."

Jou's tail looped around Mai's waist carefully but firmly and lifted her into the air before she had entirely realized what he was doing, setting her on his back gently; Mai's hands went on top of the warm scales and she felt an odd ridge beneath her palms from where his obsidian colored scales stood out. The scales her hands were on top of were ones close to his neck; that was why they stuck up in such an awkward fashion, she realized, and she gingerly gripped at them. When Jou did not react her grip tightened on them—it was like taking hold of a saddle horn, she noted.

Marik, on the other hand, was left on the ground, a scowl on his face as he watched them both. "Oh sure, help her up," he muttered, clambering onto Jou's paw.

Jou eyed him with a great amount of disdain before he reluctantly lifted his paw to his shoulder, where Marik promptly leapt to his back and stubbornly held onto the smoother scales a good distance behind Mai.

"You sure you want to sit there? You'll fall off," she warned, though she was not sure if her own position was sound.

Marik smiled grimly. "We'll see about that."

Jou huffed and rolled his eyes, gathering himself together before he sprang into the air. His wings whipped out as he cleared the trees and started flapping to help him gain momentum; she could feel the muscles in his back working overtime and Marik hastily scrambled forward when one of the dragon's wings nearly dislodged him. He ended up next to her, looking entirely disgruntled. "Don't even start!" he called over the wind, noticing her "I told you so" look as they were carried further into the sky.

Mai hunkered down instinctively and kept her grip on the scales as they shot in an almost entirely vertical line into the sky, terrified that they would get ripped out; the wind roared in her ears and her eyes watered. The last time she had been airborne with Jou his body and his claws had been shielding her from the wind—she had not realized how much stronger the wind was when Jou was not shielding her from it.

At last, though, Jou evened out and they flew parallel to the ground. It was colder up here than it was on the ground, but the sun overhead warmed her and Jou's body beneath her was generating heat. Mindful of his passengers, Jou kept just above the cloud bank and trailed his claws through them, leaving gashes in the otherwise fluffy blanket beneath them.

"So where are we going?" called Marik over the wind. "We can't spend too much time over there, you know!"

Jou seemed to be able to hear them over the wind—his wings began beating faster and they were suddenly being propelled forward at a much faster pace

"Back to the cave where we first met," she answered. "Ready for a déjà vu moment?"

* * *

><p>Jean Claude eyed the note in his hands with a tired sigh. "Well at least our fair maiden is not in the clutches of the dragon," he said, addressing the empty throne room.<p>

He paced the length of the throne once again, frowning as he studied the parchment. The Thief King had given very specific instructions: "_In three days time you will go to the southernmost glen by the river and there you shall give us the amount of money enclosed in this letter. When that is done then, and only then, may you have your princess back—and if you conduct yourself properly, she won't be missing any limbs."_

Princess Mai's lady-in-waiting had been distraught over the matter, practically chomping at the bit to find this "glen" and rescue her right there and then. Jean Claude knew the folly of leaping into such matters, however, and wanted time to scout out the surrounding area. He was being given the chance of capturing the Thief King, one that was not likely to occur again.

For these purposes he would need someone who knew the forest better than most, and one who could find both the glen and a good position to stage an ambush—lucky for him, Jean Claude had _just_ the person for the task. "Guard."

One of the men who was positioned at the door looked up. "Yes sir?"

"Have Raphael and his party returned from the forest?"

The guard shook his head. "I do not believe they have, though I will need to confirm this for myself," he replied, keeping his head lowered out of respect.

Jean Claude waved a hand dismissively. "Seek out Raphael and tell him that I demand to see him. Bring the other guard with you while you're at it. If Raphael is not here by now—the lazy oaf—I need both of you to bring me a guard who _does_ know the forest."

The other man bowed low. "As you command," he said, and the other guard mimicked his companion before the two of them exited the throne room.

Jean Claude waited until they were gone before going to the throne and sitting in it, lifting up the medallion to gaze into the depths of the large emerald in it. He glanced around furtively before he bit his thumb hard enough to draw blood; when a small bead of it appeared on the ball of his finger he smeared it across the emerald.

The blood remained on the surface of the gem before sinking into it. Runes glowed in almost neon green light around the edges of the amulet and Jean Claude waited until the light had subsided before he said, "Really, you should have come up with a less primitive way to contact you."

_"And you should quit your whining," _retorted the annoyed voice from the medallion. The man's voice held the polished, aristocratic tone of a noble and also held the slightest trace of an accent. _"Why are you contacting me now?"_

"I need a spell to locate my bride. She's gone missing and I need your assistance."

"_I gave you the use of one of my servants. Should you not ask him for this task?"_

Jean Claude scowled. "He won't listen to me! I've been asking him for days now to concoct the spell!"

This was not entirely true. The man he was speaking to had given Jean Claude one of his apprentices to aid him in his tasks, but the man in question was deranged and seemed as if he would like nothing better than to plunge the entire world into darkness and be done with it—actually, Jean Claude got chills whenever he had to talk to the other man.

His partner on the other end of the amulet seemed to know Jean Claude was not entirely being honest. _"Don't presume to lie to me. You have not yet asked him to do so because you are afraid of him. Besides, I've already heard about the poor girl who was carted off by the vicious dragon—a tragedy, really."_

This last sentence was heavily coated in sarcasm, a tone that made Jean Claude's temper rise. "Keep in mind, my friend, that I am paying you handsomely to—"

"_You cannot buy me with money, you little fool. I've already told you that," _said the other voice sharply. "_I have already given you my price for doing as you have asked. I want you to keep that in mind."_

"Yes, yes, I know: 'send every magic user in the kingdom to you for your own intentions.' Honestly, I don't even know why you would—"

"_I gave you this amulet for one reason only, and it was not so that I could listen to your constant complaining. Call on me _only_ if every other option fails you—and my servant, though rebellious in nature, will do as you ask. Swallow your fear and speak with him. It's not as if he will bite."_

The runes around the edge of the amulet stopped glowing and Jean Claude sighed, leaning tiredly into the back of the chair and looking at the spacious ceiling. He was trying so hard not to lose his temper with the sorcerer he was currently working with, but really, he was losing his patience! He owed the man a good deal for the help he'd received, but—

There was a knock at the throne room door and then the two guards returned, Raphael following behind them. "Raphael and his party had just returned," said one guard, bowing to the prince. "We have brought him here, as you requested."

Raphael also bowed from the waist, though it was with a noticeable stiffness. He waited until the guards had returned to their positions before asking, "You wished to see me?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. While you were off gallivanting in the woods on your search for the princess we received a letter from the Thief King. It turns out that he's gotten a hold of our princess and wishes to ransom her."

A startled look shot across Raphael's features. "What of the dragon?"

"I don't know or care, you twit," snapped Jean Claude impatiently, and the burly man bristled. "My concern is with Princess Mai. There is a place in the forest I am supposed to meet him to exchange the money for her Highness. You and the party of men who were with you these past couple days are to return to the forest and scout the area out."

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, those men are worn out. They need to rest," Raphael said. "They won't be as effective as a fresh unit will—"

"Silence! Do not forget your current position, Raphael," said Jean Claude warningly. "I suggest you keep in mind of what will happen if you disobey me."

Raphael's eyes flashed and his jaw tightened, and it was with a great deal of restraint that stopped him from saying anything further.

A few tense moments passed, neither party backing down until Jean Claude sighed. "Oh, very well," he amended. "Take a new group of men into the forest and go to 'the glen southernmost to the river'. I assume you know of that spot."

"I do," replied Raphael tightly.

"When you get there I want a scout sent back to tell me of what the lay of the land looks like. Now get going, you oaf. We've wasted enough time already," Jean Claude said impatiently. The blond man bowed and turned on his heel, striding toward the exit of the throne room. The prince watched him go for a moment before clearing his throat. "Oh, and Raphael?"

Raphael marginally turned to look over his shoulder at the prince.

"I think it goes without mention that Princess Mai is to be returned to me unharmed. If the Thief King finds out you're coming and figures out why you are there…well, I am assured you know what will happen."

Raphael's face darkened. "I understand," he said gruffly, exiting the throne room without another word.

Jean Claude relaxed. Everything was starting to fall into place. With any luck at all he would have his bride back at the palace and the Thief King in custody in the next three days. It would all be back to normal by the end of the week.

As for the dragon…he snorted. Let that beast show his face again—he was ready for him this time.

Now, he decided with a grimace, it was time to pay _that man_ a visit. He needed a tracking spell that would find the princess' location; when Raphael sent that scout back Jean Claude would take the news and then send the scout back with the potion to use.

He _really_ did not want to talk to him, though. That man was…frightening, to say the least.


	14. Wizards and Negotiations

_Hello! You didn't think I had forgotten about this story, did you?_

_This took me a lot longer than I thought it would to type this chapter out, mostly because my spring break was so much busier than anticipated and I ended up having little to no time to work on it. Then, of course, my plot bunnies had so many different ideas as to how they wanted this chapter written; I had to sift through all their ideas and figure out what would be in this chapter. _

_Everything is sorted out now, though, so now I'm posting it. I have a poll for those of you following, "Come Together", so if you haven't looked at it yet please feel free to do so :D_

_EDIT: there was an error on the chapter upload and I had to re-post it. Hopefully access to it is available now._

* * *

><p>Bakura folded his arms behind his head and waited patiently, leaning against the tree and closing his eyes. The sun had just started to set and he had been traveling all day to begin with, so the lull in action was welcome.<p>

It had taken him longer than he would have liked to evade the guards in pursuit, but he'd finally managed it earlier that afternoon and had returned to the camp—only to find it completely obliterated. Clearly Kaiba's dragons had found it and he'd initially harbored a small amount of concern that the remains of his few followers would be in the wreckage. It had not taken him long to figure out they had returned to the main lair, however, and he'd made his way here in time to see the dragon in the clearing.

He'd have a word with them later about leading a dragon back to his perfectly hidden lair.

He was quite comfortable where he was now and it would have been a perfect way to doze off, except the angry threats of his captive kept filtering into his ear and he was rather fed up with it.

He opened his eyes again and glared at the child with unwonted venom. They'd moved out of the tree to the ground below to wait for Kaiba, but this had not deterred Mokuba's threats in the slightest. "I do not particularly like harming a child, but in your case I will make an exception," he said. "If I have to get up, boy, you won't like it."

"Do your worst!" said Mokuba fiercely. "I'm not afraid of you!"

Bakura's glare intensified and a hand tightened around the hilt of his sword.

Ryou turned his head to watch the other two and sighed. He had been watching the sky for the inevitable appearance of the White Dragon, but so far there had been a surprising lack of signs that they were coming; if it weren't for the fact that they knew how Kaiba operated they'd be inclined to say that he'd decided to wait until morning.

But they _did_ know how Kaiba operated, and they both knew that when it came to matters concerning his brother he never delayed. So what was taking him so long?

* * *

><p>"'Fly beneath the clouds because it's warmer' my friggin' foot!" roared Marik over the wind, scowling up at the dragon from his new position in the Jou's hand. "If we live through this I'm going to kill you, lizard!"<p>

"I'm the one who suggested it, Marik, don't take it out on Jou!" Mai shouted indignantly, yelping as Jou's claws momentarily covered them. He rolled and the two humans ended up on the underside of his claws for a few seconds before the world flipped around again and they were once more situated on his palms.

"Oh yeah? He only did it because _you_ told him to!" said Marik angrily, resuming their argument the moment they were back in his palm. "He didn't _have_ to take your advice—which oh by the way was _wrong_!"

"You would have preferred freezing to death?"

"Given the alternative? _Yes!"_

Jou did not bother replying to either of the humans, instead turning his head to fire off another ball of red lightning at the dragon pursuing them. The larger white dragon dodged it easily and swooped down, fangs barely missing one of Jou's wings, and Jou's tail slammed into the other dragon's side to push it away from them.

Jou had made remarkable time getting back to the cave; though he was battered and beaten from earlier combat he was not terribly hindered in flight by his wounds. Jou had flown straight back to the mountain and within the hour had reached it; it was also easier to access the cavern where the healing spring was because of the massive hole above it (the one that had been made when Jou had inadvertently brought the ceiling of the cave down on their heads).

The entire way there Marik and Mai had pointedly ignored each other, speaking only when absolutely necessary and avoiding looking at each other as much as possible. Even so the two of them ended up snapping at each other for most of the flight back—neither of them had forgotten what had happened in the clearing and the underlying tension between them was almost suffocating.

Marik had brought along two goatskin pouches to hold the healing water in and after Mai had filled them they had been ready to leave minutes after their arrival (though Jou had taken his chance to quickly soak in the spring, allowing his recently opened wounds to close again). From there they had made a beeline straight for the thief's lair. They had stayed above the clouds for most of the journey back, but when the sun started going down Mai had begged Jou to go below them; she remembered what had happened the last time they had traveled in the sky above the clouds and she wanted to stay warmer for at least a little longer.

Things had been going fine until they reached the river closest to the thief's lair.

It had been unclear as to what on earth they had been doing—likely waiting for Jou to show up, since they seemed to think Jou had allied himself with Bakura—but the smaller dragon had only seconds to dodge the steady stream of lightning from the White Dragon that had barreled up at them from the ground, and then the White Dragon was airborne and they were being chased further and further away from the forest clearing.

The rider atop the other dragon did not seem bothered at all by Jou's attacks. In fact, the larger dragon seemed to be capable of swatting Jou's lightning attacks away as if it was nothing more than a fly; the rider had not bothered trying to transfer himself to safety, instead remaining on its back and carrying himself with all the regality of a king atop his mount (which, based on what Mai had heard, was not that bad of a description).

"Jou, we've got to get back to Bakura!" Mai called over the roar of the wind.

The dragon rumbled, ducking lower to the treetops and firing another blast at their pursuers. The White Dragon's derisive snort was clearly heard as it batted the lightning away lazily; above them, the darkening sky was illuminated by the red lightning for a brief moment.

"That won't work!" Marik replied, his eyes swiveling to the forest beneath them. "They're likely under the assumption that we're going back to the lair anyways. That dragon recognizes me and must think I know where Mokuba is."

"Why would he—?"

"Outside of Ryou I'm the only one Bakura trusts—though at times that's debatable—and Kaiba knows it. That's why they haven't truly tried to take us down yet."

"Oh great," she groaned, looking up at their attackers. "And you're sure we can't reason with them?"

"I'd bet my life on it," Marik replied, still scanning the forest below.

Mai was irritated by the fact that Marik was not even paying attention to the dragon anymore. "Is there something below us that is more important than the dragon chasing us and trying to kill us?"

"We've got to be careful in this neck of the woods, especially since the sun's going down. This is where Yugi's—"

Whatever Marik had been planning on saying was lost as Jou abruptly rolled through the air. Because Jou had momentarily forgotten about the humans he'd left his hand open; Mai had enough time to grab one of the dragon's fingers, but Marik had no time to grab anything and found himself falling through the air.

Mai let out a distinctly unladylike curse before she wrapped one arm around Jou's finger, reached out with her other hand, and barely managed to catch the Enterran's wrist as Jou righted himself. There was a loud _pop_ as Marik's hand tightened in hers and something in Mai's shoulder lit with a fiery pain as she was nearly dragged out of Jou's palm, but she did not let go of either of them. "Haul yourself back up, you stupid Enterran!" she ground out, trying desperately to tug him back up and ignoring the flaring pain beginning to course through her shoulder.

Marik stared at her in surprise before he grunted and used his other hand to grip at the edge of Jou's palm, hauling himself back onto the dragon's hand and dragging Mai with him. "Hey, dragon, quit rolling around without warning!" he yelled. "You almost killed me!"

Mai clutched at her throbbing arm and looked back up at Jou with watering eyes. They were getting further and further away from Bakura and they needed to find a way back. The sun was down and twilight was coming on. They needed to try and lose Kaiba before the night fell completely—it was hard enough dodging him in daylight and she did not fancy trying to flee from their attackers in the dark.

As if it had read her thoughts, however, the other dragon executed a perfect turn and doubled back, hovering in the air behind them for a moment before flying in the opposite direction. Mai exchanged a surprised look with Marik and opened her mouth to ask what was happening—and then Jou barreled into something neither of them had seen.

She had no idea what Jou had flown into, nor why not one of the trio had seen it, but in either event Jou had hit something akin to that of a wall. Red, gold, and purple sparks flew along Jou's scales and the dragon roared in pain, half closing his fist over the humans in his hands to shield them.

"What's going on?" Mai yelled over the sound of the dragon's roars and the crackling of electricity.

"We've hit Yugi's barrier!" Marik shouted back, wincing as sparks began dancing along Jou's scaled talons. "Dragon, you've got to get out of here! Back out!"

But Jou could not. It seemed that he was trapped in between the barrier, neither fully inside it nor fully outside; as a result the dragon was stuck and unable to do anything more but writhe in pain. He remained suspended in the barrier for a few more seconds before finally falling forward. The sparks stopped flying and Mai felt as if a large pressure had been abruptly broken, but she did not have much time to dwell on it—Jou was plummeting alarmingly fast toward the ground, stunned and disoriented.

Mai screamed as the two humans found themselves clinging for dear life to one of Jou's claws. "Jou! JOU!" she nearly shrieked as the ground below rushed to meet them. "JOU, SNAP OUT OF IT BEFORE WE ALL DIE!"

Just as they reached the tops of the trees Jou regained his bearings and managed to pull out of the nosedive they'd been in, but it wasn't enough to avoid the crash altogether and they found themselves tumbling through the nearby forest, Jou's body uprooting trees and boulders as they rolled. Jou's hand closed over them before they hit the ground and tucked it close to his chest to shield them as best as he could. Even so, Mai still found herself getting battered and bruised inside the dragon's clenched talons and every jarring impact made the pain in her injured arm even more intense.

Somewhere along the way Jou's paw flew open and the two humans found themselves hitting the ground with enough force to knock the breath from their lungs. Thankfully there was nothing for them to slam into and break bones, but nonetheless Mai could not make herself move from her facedown position nearby a fallen oak tree and simply lay still. She could taste blood in her mouth and her arm throbbed and spiked with pain; she had no idea of where Marik was, nor did she care at that particular moment.

She had no idea how long she lay there and no idea of where she was, but in what felt like hours someone started shaking her uninjured shoulder. "Mai?" asked a breathless and familiar voice, though she couldn't place where she'd heard it before. "Mai, don't be dead. I'm sorry, I didn't even know it was there and then _bam_ we hit it and—"

"Who are you?" snapped Marik's voice from off to her right. "Let go of her, demon!"

"Demon? What demon? What are you on abou—oh."

"Oh? Is that all you can say? Who are you? Answer before I put an arrow through your eye!"

"It's me, you nimrod!"

"'Me' is not specific enough."

"Oh come on! How many people do you know with black wings, black scales, and red eyes?"

"None. I know a dragon with that description, but you certainly are not a dragon."

"…Why does everyone leap to that conclusion first? Mai did the exact same thing—except, of course, she didn't have a bow and arrow."

She groaned, making herself move her head in the direction of this new voice. Her vision was blurred and coupled with the dark night around her that made seeing the other man difficult. "Shuddup, you two. Lemme die in peace," she mumbled thickly.

A long pause followed this statement, and then she heard a noticeably relieved sigh. "You're okay, then. Thank God, I thought…but no. You aren't going to die," said the first voice. Why was it so familiar?

Marik seemed to have recognized whoever was holding her. "Wait a minute. It's _you_? I thought you were a dragon."

An irritated huff. "Weren't you paying attention to the part where that white-haired friend o' yours was tellin' you I was cursed?"

"I was, but I didn't think…you can change at will? Are you human or dragon?"

"Human, and only when there's no moon out. I don't understand why I am not a dragon right now."

Oh. That's why his voice was so familiar: it was Jou. _But why isn't he a dragon?_

There was a long pause and then she heard footsteps coming toward her. "Do you know how to treat wounds, dragon?" asked Marik, and there was the sound of grass rustling near her.

"Haven't you been listening to Mai? My name's not dragon," retorted Jou indignantly.

"Do you or not?" he asked with an insistent edge to his voice.

"…No."

"Move, then. I won't hurt her," he added in exasperation. Jou must have been glowering at him or something akin to it. "I'm only seeing how badly she's hurt."

She felt someone's hand resting lightly on her shoulder and she groaned. "Lemme 'lone."

There was a long pause and then a pair of hands carefully moved her into a sitting position. Directly above her she could see a pair of red eyes that were glowing faintly in the darkness and to her right was Marik's outline. The Enterran's hands started parting her hair and he leaned in close to examine her head, and then he began rolling up her sleeve to peer at her arm.

"Geddoff, pervert," she said irritably, though her voice was nothing more than a slurred grumble.

There was a derisive snort. "I am only seeing how badly you're hurt. Don't get so worked up, Highness. It won't do Bakura any good to have a dead hostage."

Marik remained silent for a few moments, prodding her injured shoulder in particular (and causing blinding flashes of pain every time it was moved), before he sighed. "It is not as bad as it could be, though your shoulder's dislocated. Does the healing water work if I pour it on your skin, or do you have to drink it?"

Mai stared up at him groggily. "Wha…?"

"You don't have to drink it," Jou said brusquely. "It seems to work on contact."

"Good. I don't fancy making her drink anything," Marik said flatly, pulling something away from his side. She dimly recognized the goatskin pouch that held the water from the healing spring. Seconds later something cold and tingling soaked her shoulder.

Almost instantly something inside her shoulder shifted. This was followed by an odd but sharp pressure that traveled down her arm, and then there was a loud _pop_ as her shoulder fell back into place. Though she had not felt too much while this had happened it was enough to clear her vision and bring her out of the semi-dazed condition she was in. She rolled her shoulder experimentally and accidentally elbowed Jou.

"Glad to see your arm still works, Mai," remarked Jou, sounding both exasperated and relieved. He was a little harder to make out, since the scales on his body matched up perfectly with the darkness around them and the moon had not yet risen. "So where are we?"

"We're somewhere nearby Yugi's shop," said the Enterran. "We ran into his barrier. There's a village not too far from here that he keeps watch over—and no, it's not a village of the forest folk, it's one on the furthest border of the kingdom. The barrier normally is around the perimeter of the village, but it expands further out when the sun goes down. It only activates if something—"

Marik's head shot up as something rustled in the bushes nearby and Mai could see a floating light coming toward them. She tensed, not certain at this point of who was coming at them and what intentions they had; behind her she heard a defensive, dragon-like growl coming from Jou.

The Enterran, though, relaxed once he got a clear view of who was coming toward them. "Yugi?" he called hopefully.

"Who is that?" came the newcomer's reply almost immediately. "Marik?"

"Yep. One and the same," he replied, grinning when someone finally pushed their way through the bushes.

The figure was shorter than Mai expected, only just barely taller than Mokuba. The floating, glowing orb they had seen earlier was coming from the top of the staff the newcomer was carrying, dimly lighting his features; she could see the cobalt blue and black garments that he was wearing, and even from here she could see something surrounding his head that looked like…fire?

"What on earth are you doing here at this time of night?" he asked, coming closer to them. She could see a rather large pair of purple eyes that were lit by the light coming from his staff; upon closer inspection Mai realized that what she thought was fire was actually his hair (and she'd thought Valon had a weird hairstyle—at least his hair color was not a combination of red, yellow, and violet).

Marik started to explain, but then Yugi caught sight of a still-growling Jou and an alarmed expression flashed across his features. "How did a demon get inside my barrier?"

"I'm no demon," Jou snapped indignantly, scowling at him. "Why does everyone keep thinking that?"

"You look like one. He's cursed, apparently. Her Royal Highness here knows the full details behind that," explained Marik sardonically.

"Cursed?" This time Yugi sounded interested. "How so?"

Seconds later, though, he scowled (and Mai thought that he looked rather cute more than intimidating). "Someone broke my barrier earlier…I'm assuming it was you?" he asked, sounding annoyed. "I've warned you before—"

"I know, I know: 'don't come in this area at night if you're carrying anything either cursed or bearing dark magic unless you have express permission from me.' That's how you keep Bakura out of your shop, you've warned us before," Marik grumbled.

"It takes _hours_ to weave the spells for the barrier, you know. I don't know what on earth you did, but whatever you had with you completely shattered it. It took me the better part of an hour to reconstruct the basic tier of my barrier and put it back up before I came here," said Yugi, frowning at Jou. "What kind of curse are you under?"

"The bad kind?" asked Jou, somewhat sarcastic.

Yugi frowned and Mai wondered if he had taken the other man's comment as being snide. She knew the real reason that Jou was not being more cooperative—she remembered all too clearly what had happened the last time Jou had answered a question that the curse had reacted to. Besides, Jou was not exactly friendly to wizards (given his past encounters with them).

To her surprise, though, Yugi nodded as if it had been a serious answer. "Well, yes, curses are generally bad. I take it the ones you are under won't let you answer certain questions?"

She did not need to turn around to see the disbelief on Jou's face.

"And let me see…there's a shape-shifting curse, coupled with a _lycanthra reversum_ curse, and then we have a modified gag spell…the magic weaving is certainly an intricate one," Yugi murmured, frowning. "That's not even counting the other two curses I can see, though I don't know what those are. Yami probably knows."

Marik caught sight of Mai's baffled expression and leaned in close. "Magic users, like Yugi, can clearly see magic. I don't know entirely how it works, but Yugi's able to see the magic that surrounds people or objects—helpful if there's hidden curses inside objects," he explained quietly

Mai sat up straighter, suddenly excited.

A magic user. Here at last was someone who could help Jou. Surely he had to know how to undo the spell Jou was under without using the spell book Bakura currently had—for all she knew he probably had a spare copy of it.

Jou's face darkened in distrust and he was watching Yugi warily. Clearly he did not trust the other man, likely because he was a magic user; it occurred to Mai that she had no idea of whether or not Yugi was a member of the Wizard's Council, but then again she could easily work around it. She'd figure out a way to get Yugi's help without having Jou reported to the council.

Yugi seemed to notice her for the first time and he pointed his staff to her curiously. Not surprisingly, Jou let out another warning growl and Mai leaned backwards—at least until she remembered Jou was shirtless (at which point she sat bolt upright).

"Oh no, don't worry! It's only a simple lighting charm, it is not meant to harm," Yugi explained hastily, noticing her discomfort.

He studied her for a moment before turning pink and Mai raised an eyebrow. She followed his gaze to what remained of her dress and inwardly repressed a groan—the skirt had been practically ripped away and fell to the middle of her thighs, while the blouse had lost a sleeve and some of its length to expose her waist; it had also gotten ripped across the bust (though thankfully it was not enough to be indecent). No wonder he was staring.

Mai took this in for a moment longer before smirking at the staring young man. She could shriek in outrage if she liked or make some sarcastic remark as she usually did in these situations, but to be honest there was something adorable about his gaping stare and she did not feel like yelling at him.

"What's wrong, hun? Never seen a woman before?" she teased, and Yugi's face turned an even darker shade of red. "I bet you've never seen a woman wearing the latest fashion."

Jou snorted but moved away from behind her. "If that is the latest fashion in the courts I will gladly stay cursed," he said, though she noticed he looked almost as flustered as Yugi did.

She smirked. It was almost too easy to fluster them—this seemed to be the beginning of a new game she could play if she got bored.

The sight of Jou standing in front of her though brought a question that had been bouncing around in her mind since she had realized Jou was once again in his human(ish) form. "Yugi, is it?"

"Yes?" asked Yugi, still not entirely looking at her.

She smiled in spite of herself. "It's a serious question, hun. Jou here was cursed to remain in the form of a dragon unless there's no moon out—why is he human right now?"

Yugi blinked, all traces of embarrassment vanishing and his eyes lighting up. "Oh, that's simple to explain," he said with visible relief. "My barrier's designed to keep out dark magic, and if it can't do that it absorbs the majority of the dark magic. The brunt of the curses that your friend's under went up against my barrier and when the barrier broke those particular curses were weakened. As long as my barrier's up the affected curses will remain weakened, but if he steps outside it again the curses regain their strength."

Mai honestly believed her brain had melted. "Umm…explain that again?"

"Look, I know that you have your own agenda, Highness, but we've got more pressing issues," Marik said impatiently. "Yugi, do you still have your half of the communication amulet?"

"Of course I do," said Yugi, showing something close to irritation for the first time since he had arrived. "Its sister half was one of the many things Bakura's stolen from my shop."

"Do you have it on you?" the Enterran asked. At Yugi's half skeptical expression he continued with an exasperated, "I need to get in touch with Bakura, unless he's been blown up by Kaiba already."

The comment caused a sober expression to cross Yugi's features. "Kaiba's still after you guys?"

"A mother grizzly bear has nothing on an angry dragon lord," replied Marik dryly. "We were trying to head back to our lair when he ambushed us."

Jou snorted. "That prissy guy on top of that other dragon? Please—I could take him."

"Sure you could. That's why you were flying in the opposite direction."

"I had you two to look after," said Jou irritably, scowling at the Enterran. "It's not like I could just drop you and go merrily on my way."

Marik's face darkened and he muttered under his breath in his native language. Jou looked back at him smugly and said, "My point exactly."

"Didn't you hear what I said? You _did_ drop me, dragon."

"Oi! My name's Jou!"

Marik rolled his eyes and then hauled Mai to her feet. "We need to get going," he said brusquely. "Yugi, we need to borrow your half of the communication amulet. Can we stop at your shop for a while?"

"Of course," replied Yugi almost instantly. "You all seem to be hurt anyways. I have a few healing potions on hand that can help."

"Thanks," said the Enterran, sounding slightly grateful. "We have something of our own, but to be honest I need to wait and see if…well, we need to find out how much of it will work."

Yugi looked baffled, but Mai understood what Marik was hinting at: they had no idea how much of the healing water would be necessary to heal the baby White Dragon and until they did it would be best not to use anymore of it. Marik likely had deemed her dislocated shoulder a good reason to use the healing water, but they could not afford to use any more of it.

Mai took a step forward but then bit back a yelp as pain shot up her ankle. She had not noticed it before because of her shoulder, but her tumble through the forest had resulted in a twisted ankle; traveling on foot would be difficult because of the injury.

Jou had heard the sound, as had Marik. "Mai?" asked Jou with concern. "You okay?"

Marik scoffed. "She probably broke a nail or something," he said dismissively, already striding down the path Yugi had traveled on. "Don't worry over it, dragon. She's simply not used to such a rugged lifestyle and those fingernails of hers are fragile."

Mai bristled. One minute he had been worried about her, the next he couldn't care less if she was dying or not—they were right back to being enemies. "Stupid Enterran," she muttered.

She lifted her chin and then started walking after him, making certain that her limp was undetectable. The pain made her grit her teeth but she obstinately kept walking; Marik was under the assumption that she was some spoiled little princess who needed constant supervision and she was not going to further that belief by asking for help.

She heard footsteps behind her and realized that Jou and Yugi had fallen into step on the path behind her. Yugi had started talking to Jou, a friendly note to his words as he spoke; she was more focused on walking at the moment, but from what it sounded like it seemed that Jou was caught off guard that a magic user was being so nice to him. In fact, it almost seemed like he was warming up to the other teenager.

She smiled to herself. _I told you so, Jou._

Marik was watching her intently when she finally caught up to him. He had stopped at a crossroads of sorts and was clearly waiting for the rest of the group. "You're hurt," he said flatly when she reached him.

She regarded him haughtily. "I can handle myself."

The Enterran studied her for a moment before he sighed, strode over to her, and then, much to her surprise, scooped her into his arms. "You'll only slow us down and time is of the essence," he said by way of explanation.

Mai stared at him, completely caught off guard. "Would you please make up your mind as to whether or not you're going to be nice to me?" she asked indignantly.

"I could drop you, Highness," he replied as he started walking down one of the paths. "So unless you want that happening you'll be quiet. The faster I get to Yugi's the sooner I can put you down."

…Seriously. Marik needed to figure out whether or not he was her ally—she was getting tired of the back-and-forth behavior he was showing her.

* * *

><p>Bakura kept his eyes shut even as he felt the wind blow against him; from above him he could hear the sound of the dragon's wings as they beat the night air to stay aloft. "Don't be a stranger, Kaiba," he remarked loudly, still keeping his eyes closed. "Come on down."<p>

He heard the White Dragon descending and felt the vibration through the tree trunk he was leaning against as its weight contacted the earth. He opened one eye lazily as he watched the tail end of Kaiba's dismount from the dragon. "I see you found your way all right. I was beginning to think you were lost."

Kaiba glared at him and strode forward. Bakura did not bother rising to his feet, leaning comfortably against the tree and pillowing his head with his arms. "I was late because I bumped into your pet dragon and some of your lackeys. I've dealt with them accordingly."

Ah. So Kaiba had bumped into Her Highness and Marik, either on their way to the spring or on their return journey. It was clear he hadn't killed them, though—he would have brought back something for Bakura to see. He'd have to find out where those idiots had gone off to, but that was later.

Aloud, he said, "You assume that I had an alliance of sorts with that flying lizard? Please—I merely have something he wants."

"Speaking of which…my brother. Where is he?"

Bakura unfolded his arms from behind his head and shrugged carelessly. "Somewhere in this clearing," he said nonchalantly.

There was a blur of silver and Bakura found that the tip of the other man's sword was digging into his throat, the blade lit with a faint light—characteristic of a sword fashioned from the scales of the White Dragon. "Try again, thief."

Bakura's eyebrow rose and there was a golden flash from the inside of his shirt.

Kaiba did not flinch when the shadows pooled around him and then rose, directing several sword-like projections at his own throat. "Cute trick, Bakura," he said conversationally. They could hear the warning snarl from the dragon behind them. "Stand down, Kisara."

Neither one of them spoke, one glaring and the other looking distinctly bored. At length, Kaiba said coolly, "Name one reason why I shouldn't end your pitiful existence where you stand."

Bakura grinned. "Because if you did, Kaiba, you'd never find your precious Mokuba again."

The other man's dark blue eyes narrowed.

"Now I have your attention. How about you sheathe that weapon of yours and I'll do the same," said Bakura calmly, looking completely at ease. The shadows receded back into the night. "See?"

Kaiba debated, then slowly sheathed his sword and folded his arms. "I'm listening, thief."

Bakura tutted. "Ah ah, my name's Bakura. It would do you well to remember that. You may be lord of your dragons, but I am a king amongst thieves. Respect for nobles, remember?"

"What do you want, thi—Bakura?" asked Kaiba, looking as if he swallowed poison when he said the white-haired man's name.

Bakura grinned again. "Ah, there we go. See, not so hard," he said cheerfully. The grin, however, did not enter his eyes. "Now, as for your question…"

Now Bakura's eyes narrowed and all traces of his uncaring attitude vanished. "I would like to know what on earth would possess you to think that I of all people would bring harm to one of your dragon's kits."

Kaiba glowered and from behind him Kisara bared her fangs. "I would think that obvious, Bakura. Of everyone in this forest you are the one who stands the most to gain from that endeavor."

"Why not Yugi? Why not one of the forest folk?" countered Bakura sharply. "No, you've assumed that I had everything to do with your kit's misfortune. Granted, I have stolen from you in the past, but you've never seen me harm one of your precious charges then."

"Explain this, then," said Kaiba icily, and he reached into his cloak to toss out an ornate dagger, the blade stained with dried blood. "All of your thieves carry these daggers on them at all times."

Bakura's eyebrows rose again before he booted the knife and casually used his foot to toss it in the air. He caught it and examined it, his mahogany eyes moving over the dagger and taking in the details. "It _is_ similar to one that my men would carry, but this blade is not ours," he said at last. "The weight's wrong, the hilt is stiff, unyielding, the leather on it is wrapped incorrectly, and the tip of the blade is blunted and curved."

"How do I know you aren't making this up, Bakura?" asked Kaiba.

"You don't. Since you and your brother seem to be ignoring me anyways you might as well assume I'm lying," he replied flatly. "But if you are attacking us simply because of one bloodstained dagger then you are not as smart as everyone thinks you are."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "Then how about you explain what I saw for myself that night? I saw your Enterran friend fleeing the cave with a white-haired man beside him. Given the fact that you don't go anywhere without either your twin or that Enterran I'd say it's a safe assumption you were involved. There are a multitude of white haired men I've seen before, but the features on the Enterran are ones I've only seen on him."

Bakura's eyes narrowed, keeping his face clear.

"Since I've explained my reasoning, _thief_, how about you return my brother and I'll consider letting you live?" said Kaiba coldly, and Kisara snarled.

Kaiba had seen someone looking like them fleeing the cave where the kit had been attacked. Mokuba had claimed that the dragons had not picked up a scent, which implied that someone with powerful magic had been involved—not many could brew a potion that would work against the White Dragons. Yugi would never deliberately bring harm to anyone unless there was no other alternative; Ryou had been by his side for months, as had Marik. There was no way that either of them had been there that night, but without the proper proof Kaiba would not be convinced that the thieves had not been involved.

"All right, Kaiba. I've gotten my answers," he said aloud, resuming his nonchalant air. "I don't think I can counter anything you throw at me for the moment, so in lieu let me offer you a deal."

"A deal?" Kaiba looked skeptical.

"Yes. Come now, I seemed to have caused you grief, so let me do something about it," he said calmly. "You are aware of what a healing spring is?"

At this the brown-haired man's gaze sharpened. It was quite clear he had heard of one before.

"I have a young woman in my company who knows where to find one and went with Marik to fetch some. Return to this clearing tomorrow evening with your injured kit in tow and we'll see if the healing water works on it. If it does, you stop attacking us and allow us to find out more about the two men you saw."

"And if not?"

Bakura shrugged. "Then your dragon has my permission to kill us all. I'll even go first, if that seals the deal."

Kaiba mulled this over silently, his eyes betraying nothing of his thoughts. At last, he said, "Sounds agreeable. I'll humor this little bargain of yours on one condition."

"And that would be?"

"Release my brother."

Bakura's eyebrows rose.

"I won't attack you and I will leave this clearing the moment he is safely at my side," Kaiba said calmly, understanding the silent sentence that was hanging in the air. "Now release him."

There was a rustling in the space behind him and Ryou emerged from the bushes, holding onto a bound, silently fuming Mokuba (Bakura had gotten annoyed with the child's constant threats and had finally gagged him). He untied the boy with a soft apology and the child ripped the cloth from his mouth before running to Kaiba's side, glaring at them both once he was safely behind his brother.

"Are you all right, Mokuba?" asked Kaiba quietly, resting a hand on his brother's shoulder and briefly glancing down at him.

"I'm okay," he replied, suddenly much meeker in his older brother's presence. "I'm sorry I made you come out here and that I was an inconvenience. I was trying to find them and ended up captured," he continued in an almost inaudible mutter.

"It's fine," he replied, a barely noticeable note of gentleness coloring his words. "We'll talk later, all right?"

He looked back at Bakura, who was smirking at him, and asked a cold but polite, "Can I help you with something, thief?"

"Nothing at all," said Bakura airily.

He waited until the two brothers had gotten onto the dragon and it had taken flight before turning on his heel and heading into the shadows of the forest. "Come, Ryou," he said over his shoulder, "we have a bunch of idiots to track down."

* * *

><p>The rabbit sniffed at something in the underbrush, then hopped closer.<p>

_C'mon, now._

It came a little closer, but at the sound of a snapped twig its head shot up and it looked around wildly for a moment before resettling, once more nibbling at a patch of grass.

_Easy now, fella. I'm not 'ere…jus' come a little closer…_

The rabbit moved closer to the hidden snare and now it was but mere inches away from the trap.

This was one of his better traps, since he had figured out how to mask the smell on the rope by rubbing a green oak branch against it. He would just shoot it with the bow and arrow at his side, but he only had one arrow and he had never been proficient with the weapon; he preferred hand to hand combat. Alister had always been better with the weapon then he had…oh wait, it was nearly on top of the snare.

_Almost there…come on, bunny, hop on in— _

And then there was a highly undignified shriek from somewhere off to his right and the rabbit bolted in the complete opposite direction of the snare. By the time he got a hold of his bow and arrow the rabbit had disappeared into the underbrush.

Valon cursed under his breath. There went his dinner. Now what kind of fool would scream at this time of night? Sure, there were wolves and bears and the occasional mountain lion, but they stopped coming here because of Yugi's barrier. There was no reason to scream.

It took him a moment before he realized that it had been a woman shrieking—and that he recognized this particular woman's voice as it started coming through the trees.

Valon took up the bow and nearly empty quiver, slinging them both over his shoulder before making his way through the forest, easily picking his way through the fallen trees and bushes. He reached the game trail that he'd made a while ago and then moved up the path, heading slightly uphill; he'd made the path last spring, when the rains had carved a natural path through the undergrowth, and the newly formed pond at the bottom of this path was perfect for attracting game.

He traveled through the trees for several more minutes before he finally reached the thin road that led to Yugi's home. Once there it was easier to travel and as he got closer he could hear her indignant voice getting stronger.

Yugi's home was a two story wooden structure surrounded by a wooden fence (he often wondered if it was taller than Yugi), a wooden turtle carved into the front gate; at one point the area had been populated with turtles, which was why many referred to it as "the turtle shop".

The building had been built with the intention of being an inn, but Yugi's grandfather had purchased the building and turned it into a shop; a part of the lower level had been converted into the shop and at times doubled as a tavern. Items that varied between being common goods, weapons, potions, and rare artifacts were sold inside the shop. Valon had been in the lower level multiple times, whenever Raphael had needed to get something that could not be found in the forest.

The upper level was strictly off limits unless otherwise noted, but based on what he knew about Yugi he figured that it doubled as both the living area for Yugi and his grandfather and where the two wizards performed their spells or brewed their potions.

The torches along the path were lit, casting the area in a warm glow; there were a few floating lights that were suspended in the air without anything holding them up (he snorted—that practically screamed magic. Really going incognito there, Yugi).

In the front of the shop he could see a familiar blonde woman sitting in the middle of the path, snarling in outrage at Marik; she was yelling something about how Marik had dropped her. His eyebrows rose when he noticed how little she was wearing—that was an interesting improvement, he thought with a grin. Yugi was trying to curb the argument but with little success, while someone he didn't recognize stayed to the shadows. Beyond them, though, he did not see anyone else

He grinned and bounded forward. "Well 'ello, fellas. Whatcha doin' in this part of the woods?"


	15. A Lesson in Magic

_Hello, my lovelies! I have finally returned!_

_I had quite a lot of business on my end to take care of and didn't have nearly as much time as I would have liked to work on things. Nonetheless I have finally gotten everything straightened out and I'm now back in business._

_This chapter does have some interesting concepts in it, mainly concerning a certain individual, so if there are any questions feel free to let me know in a review or a PM. Other than that, though, thank you all for your patience and support. I hope you enjoy this update!_

* * *

><p>Mai had not entirely appreciated being unceremoniously dropped onto the ground after reaching Yugi's shop, but the Enterran clearly had not wanted to hold her any longer than necessary. The moment he'd stepped onto the gravel path that led to the building he'd dropped her and made a beeline for the inn, ignoring her indignant shrieks as he'd briefly vanished from view.<p>

By the time Yugi and Jou had caught up to them Marik had returned, a broken half of an amulet in hand, and merely looked bored at her outraged snarls. Jou was not looking too pleased either, though at some nameless noise behind them he'd vanished into the shadow of the building.

At the sound of Valon's chipper greeting, however, all parties momentarily stopped what they were doing to look at her. "Hello, Valon!" called Yugi at last. "Did you catch any rabbits?"

"Naw. Woulda 'ad one, 'xcept Mai 'ere shrieked 'n' scared 'im off," replied Valon, his grin widening when he spotted her. "'ello, love!"

"I've been over this with you. Don't call me that," grumbled Mai irritably, though she felt oddly relieved to see him. They'd parted ways on less than happy terms, so to see Valon back to his normally cheerful self.

Jou rolled his eyes and stepped out. "Just when I thought I was shot of you," he said tiredly. "Why did you have to come back?"

Valon's curious gaze swung to him and he stared in disbelief."Who're you?" he asked.

Jou's eyes rolled. "At least you aren't calling me demon," he grumbled. "That's a nice change from the rest of these clowns."

The Aurosian's eyes narrowed before his expression cleared and he snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah! I know you—you're tha' dragon friend o' Mai's…Jojo, righ'?"

The other man's face promptly darkened. "Jou," he corrected flatly.

"Jou, Jojo, either way," replied Valon dismissively, winking at Mai. "Where'd Marik go off to? 'e was 'ere a minute ago."

While everyone had been talking to Valon Marik had taken this time to slip inside the building behind them. By the time Yugi had turned around he was already leaving it, a golden medallion in his fist; upon closer inspection Mai could see the jagged edge where it had been split.

"Got a hold of Bakura," he announced. "He says that he's on his way. Yugi, can you take the barrier back down when he gets to it?"

Yugi frowned. "As long as he promises that he won't steal anything he can come," he said at last.

Mai jumped when Bakura's wry voice came from the amulet in Marik's hand. "_Honestly, little Yugi, I've learned my lesson. I won't steal anything."_

"That includes borrowing without asking," Yugi added firmly. "I haven't forgotten the last excuse you made for stealing an item from my shop."

"_Fine, little magic user," _came the exasperated reply. "_And tell those idiots to remain there until my arrival."_

Marik handed the medallion back to Yugi, who pocketed it and then gestured them toward the brightly lit building. "Well, you might as well stay here until Bakura gets here," said Yugi cheerfully, offering a hand to Mai to help her to her feet. "Come on in. You can use some of the healing potion I've got on hand and I'm in the process of making dinner—Valon was staying for the night."

Mai took the offered hand, but it was Jou who bent down and lifted her easily into his arms. "I've got her, Yugi," he said, padding into the building and making certain not to bump her against the doorframe.

The interior was wide and spacious, with only three large tables set on the left side of the room. On the right side, where she assumed the alcohol would be kept on the shelves, she found that varying items that ranged from rope to bottled potions to items she didn't even recognize were on these shelves; those must be some of the things that Yugi sold to travelers. At the back of the room was a thick oak door that was slightly ajar, allowing her to see the stairs that led up them.

The walls were covered with furs that had prices marked on tags next to them and bolts of fabric ran along the length of the back wall, no doubt to be sold to the seamstresses in the neighboring village or to the forest folk who needed it. Bows, swords (both wooden and iron), and farming tools lined the back of the right wall, while a fireplace on the left side of the room dominated that side of the wall.

"This is a shop?" she asked in surprise.

"Well, it was an inn. My grandfather renovated it, though, and now we have the Turtle Shop," replied Yugi, moving to where a cauldron was boiling; the scent of stew reached her when he lifted the lid and her stomach growled. "What you see down here isn't even the half of it. Upstairs are the rooms, my workshop, and more expensive or rarer items that I don't keep down here—generally, other magic users or passing nobles like to buy them. Bakura also likes stealing them," he finished, scowling.

Mai limped over to a nearby chair and sat down gratefully in it, massaging her ankle. "He is a thief," she pointed out wryly. "I would think he would be inclined to steal anything that isn't bolted down."

Marik scoffed. "Please. He buys food and clothes."

Yugi stirred the pot. "That's only when he doesn't feel like stealing anything—which hardly happens. Valon, I hate to make you leave, but this stew won't be right unless we have meat in it."

The brown-haired teenager sighed. "I was 'fraid o' tha'," he said. "Drat. 'm gonna 'ave t' 'unt again, aren' I? I can' shoot a bow 'n' arrow t' save my life. The rabbits all know me 'n' not one o' them is goin' f'r the snares."

"Sorry, but I only have dried meat in the back and it won't go at all with the stew," said Yugi apologetically.

Jou, who had sat in a chair next to Mai the moment she had sat down, rose to his feet. "I can see better in the dark. If you're goin' to hunt I'll go with you," he offered.

Valon grinned. "Well 'ey, sure. Why not? C'mon, then, 'n' le's catch dinner. 'opefully we get a couple o' rabbits, but deer is always a good alternative," he said with a laugh, and then he was heading back out the door. "Look out, bunny, 'm comin' t' getcha! Don' think you can escape me!"

"I'll be back in a bit, Mai," said Jou quietly, startling her. "Get your ankle taken care of, huh? That way I can hunt and know you'll be good as new when I come back. And then you can eat a good meal while you're at it."

"Don't coddle me, Jou," she replied, though she was touched by the visible amount of concern he was showing. Now she understood why he was volunteering to hunt. "Hurry up before you lose track of Valon."

"And be careful of the barrier," warned Yugi. "If you hit it again you'll change back into a dragon and believe me when I tell you that it'll hurt. Valon knows where it is, so pay attention to where he takes you."

Jou shifted uncomfortably. "No problem, Yugi. Thanks for the warning," he said stiffly, disappearing into the night. Marik murmured something about watching for Bakura or for trouble and left the room, leaving Mai and Yugi inside the inn.

Yugi sighed. "Your friend really doesn't trust magic users," he commented, setting the lid back on the cauldron. He crossed the room to pull a vial filled with a familiar golden potion inside and returned to her, handing her the potion vial.

"They haven't given him a reason to trust them," Mai pointed out as she massaged the potion into her ankle. "Look what one of them did to him. They cursed him to the point where he can't even remain human for more than a night."

"That definitely sounds like a modified _lycanthra reversum _curse," said Yugi with a frown. "The new moon is when magic is at its weakest, that's why it's modified the way it is. That way the curses aren't fully weakened when the moon vanishes. I'm beginning to think that they're only components of the curses and not the full spell itself…breaking this spell is going to be a challenge," he continued. "I haven't even seen two of the spells before."

"How can you see magic?" she asked, dabbing more of the potion on a nasty cut on her arm.

Yugi laughed. "My grandfather taught me," he said. "Magic users can see the way a spell is woven if they're trained enough."

"Woven?"

Yugi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "It's hard to explain. Here, let me show you," he said, rummaging in his robe until he found a bag of what appeared to be fine white sand. He poured a measured amount onto the table before murmuring something under his breath; the sand stirred and then, to her amazement, formed what appeared to be a spider's web.

"Most spells have tiers," he began, and the two outermost edges of the sand web turned blue to illustrate his point. "These are the initial anchors that hold the spell in place on an object or person. Then comes the interior frame, which hold the properties of the spell itself," he continued, and the next three layers turned red. "Finally, there's the core of the spell, and though the core is smaller than the rest of the spellwork it is what holds the most magic and fuels the spell," he finished, and the inner most layers of the web turned green.

"In order to weave multiple spells into one similar to that your friend is under, the caster merged several spells together, each of them feeding off of the anchor layer of the spell—like this," he said, and with a casual flick of his wrist the sand shifted; the blue lines remained mostly blue but began streaking with red and even pink, while the red lines were lined with purple and green lines. The green circle of sand shone with a myriad of color.

"What does that do?" she asked, staring in awe at the sand sitting on the table's edge.

"Because most spells aren't meant to be merged together and only skilled magic users can perform this task, it means that each spell is bound by some condition that must be met. Let's say I cast a spell that dyed your hair red, gave you blue skin, and wings. To do this I would first cast the anchor spell, which is what will hold the next layers of the spell together—exactly like a spider's web. Once the anchor spell is laid down I would use modified spells designed to stick to the framework and flesh it out."

Mai mulled this over before she spoke again. "So, in order to break the curse on Jou you need to break the anchor spell?" she said hesitantly at last, glancing at Yugi to confirm it.

The shorter man grinned. "Exactly," he said, waving a hand over the two blue lines. Immediately the sand web stopped glowing and returned to its plain white color. He waved two fingers over it absently and the sand returned to the bag it had come from. "It's like destroying a spider's web—the core of the spell, which is in the center, can easily adjust to any attempts to break the interior and is much harder to destroy, but if you take out the framework of the spell it unravels. I like to call it the conditional spell, since you need to meet the conditions of that spell to break it."

"Great! So what's the conditional spell for Jou's curse?"

Yugi's face fell. "I don't know," he said slowly. "Whoever cast it made certain that it's buried beneath the layers of the other curses—they inverted the order of the spellwork to make it harder to see. Yami might be able to spot it, though, once Jou comes back."

"You've mentioned him before. Who _is_ Yami?" she asked with a frown.

"He's the spirit trapped inside the Millennium Puzzle," replied Yugi brightly, beaming at her.

"Oh, so he's…wait, he's _what?_" she asked, slightly stuttering out of surprise. "He's a ghost?"

"Not exactly," said Yugi wryly as he rose to his feet. He lifted the lid again and studied the stew, nodding in satisfaction before turning to face her. "I'll go get him. Wait here."

Before she could stop him Yugi had crossed the length of the room and disappeared up the stairs; a few minutes later he returned, carrying something in his hands. "Here," he said, carefully setting it on the table.

It really was made from solid gold, she noted with a startled gasp. It was an upside down pyramid, with a sinister looking eye set in the middle of it; she could feel the power emanating from the pendant and one half of her wanted to touch it while the other wanted to put distance between them. "The necklace is Yami?" she asked.

_Not quite._

She jumped at the baritone voice that echoed through the room and in the next second something black began rising from the interior of the eye; she promptly scooted away from the table and her eyes widened as the shadows from the fire melded into the ones rising from the puzzle.

The figure that was formed by these shadows hovered in the air, his legs crossed casually. He wore a sleeveless black shirt that bared his toned arms and what appeared to be trousers, but because the shadows were pitch black she could not see any distinguishing features of his clothing; the shadows seemed to be forming his clothes.

What was doubly startling about this figure was that, aside from being transparent, he looked almost like Yugi. The two of them shared the same features, even the same hair style, but while Yugi was much friendlier looking Yami's disposition was both regal and feral; Yami's violet eyes swung to her and she felt as if she was staring into the eyes of a lion. On his forehead glowed the same eye that was on the front of the pendant.

"My, Yugi, but who's this?" he asked as he studied her. "A Thystian princess, so far from home?"

Yugi started. "She's from Thystia? And a princess?"

"Can you not hear it in her accent?" Yami inquired. "Then again, Thystians do not travel by the paths less taken. It is not surprising you did not know of her origins."

"Don't worry, hun," she said lightly, noticing Yugi's horrified expression. "Marik mentioned my status as royalty a couple of times, but you probably thought he was being sarcastic."

Her gaze went back to Yami. The aristocratic overtones to his voice, coupled with the formality of his speech and the slight accent to his voice that was shared with Marik, told her that this—apparition? Ghost? What word best described him?—was from Enterra and even seemed to be a noble of some kind. "I am from Thystia," she agreed, unsettled by the way his eyes were watching her. "You hail from Enterra?"

Yami dipped his head. "Very good," he said casually, his eyebrows raising as he gazed at her. "Yugi, this woman…do you see it, or are your eyes not opened enough?"

The other two jumped, and then Yugi looked to her as well. "I don't see anything," he said at last.

Mai exchanged glances with Yugi. "Does he always speak like that?" she asked, trying to hide her sudden worry.

"It's a side-effect of being trapped inside the Millennium Puzzle with Shadow magic for three thousand years. Believe me, he was much worse when he was first let out of the Puzzle, and he was a lot meaner then too—"

"Shadow magic?" she repeated faintly, horror coating her words and wiping all of her other thoughts out. "He's a _Shadow User_?"

"That I am. By extension Yugi also has the ability to wield the Shadows, though he chooses not to," said Yami carelessly, though something in his gaze sharpened. "You need not be so afraid, Highness."

"But…but it's _Shadow magic!"_ she burst out in alarm, backing away from them hastily until she hit the wall. "It's the same magic that cursed Jou!"

Yami remained silent for a long moment and then chuckled, though it was not a pleasant sound. "Ah. It seems that you've been educated incorrectly as to what Shadow magic is. You humans fear what you do not understand, and Shadow magic is a topic many are woefully uneducated about."

"How so?" she asked suspiciously. "I've seen what it does to people. You don't need to have an education to know that meddling with it causes harm."

"Shadow magic and the spells it utilizes have outcomes that are as a warped mirror, young maiden, but it is neither good nor evil. Like all magic, it is impersonal until the wielder calls it," Yami said smoothly. "The Shadows you see are those who meddled in the games cast by Shadow magic and their wielders, eventually succumbing to their curse. More often than not they are deserving of the punishment visited on them. Cheaters, gamblers, those weak of heart, traitors, murderers, greedy thieves, they who prey upon the innocence of children…they are fools who sought out the Shadow items to further their evil and paid the price for their folly."

"…I don't understand."

Yami looked to her evenly. "Shadow magic can only be used if one possesses a Shadow item—many refer to them as 'the Millennium items'. How such a grandiose name for them came about is beyond my understanding," he explained patiently, his nose wrinkling in distaste. "There are seven such items and only those who descend from the original wielders of these items are allowed to hold them and call those of the Shadows to them. Did you not find it strange that in all your teachings a maximum of seven known Shadow Users were present in each century?

"They who dare touch and call the power that is not theirs to summon must pay the price."

Mai shuddered at the cold malice that had entered Yami's voice as he finished speaking. "What you're saying is that those who weren't supposed to use the items and yet sought them out were cursed with Shadow magic?" she asked slowly. "Is that what the shadows are?"

Yami's dark face cleared and he laughed once again. "You are correct, maiden," he said, and then he blurred into wisps. She gaped in confusion until they reformed in the chair next to her and she jumped at how suddenly he had reappeared. "Shadows are also created when the User invites someone to a Shadow game and they fail to win it. Chance is given to escape, yet not many do so."

He studied her for another moment and then said, "Intriguing bit of spellwork, but do you know what you have lost? I do not think you do."

Mai frowned. What was that supposed to mean?

Yami turned his head to the door and frowned. "Yugi, have you let the barrier down?"

"Yes. Bakura is—"

"Just now arriving. I can sense him," Yami said with distinct distaste. "I will retire for the moment, until he leaves."

With that, the spirit started to fade away. Just as he almost had vanished Mai suddenly realized something important and said hastily, "Wait! Bakura—is he a Shadow User as well?"

"An astute guess, maiden," he said amicably. "Bakura has just as much of a connection to the items as I have. Call me once more when he is gone, Yugi, and in the meantime set about finding a cure for her ailment."

Just as the door to the shop opened Yami vanished entirely, his unsettling smile remaining fixed in the air for a few seconds longer before fading away as well.

Marik and Bakura came into the building seconds later and Yugi half rose from his seat to talk with them, but Mai's head was buzzing with all the new information and she rested her head in her hands, trying to make sense of it.

Yami had said that only those who wielded Shadow items could use Shadow magic. Maybe the Shadows that had been formed since their creation had been those who tried to wrongfully use the items…but if that was the case what was with Yugi using it? Had his magical core already been corrupted? But why wasn't he a Shadow? He didn't seem like any of the insane men she had seen brought before her father who had claimed to use Shadow magic.

What about Bakura? He'd been directly using the Shadows, she realized now, and yet he had suffered no consequences. Why? Yugi looked like Yami and Ryou like Bakura. Did that have something to do with it?

There were so many _if's_ and _why_'s and _how's_ that her head hurt anew and she massaged her temples. Her stomach growled and Mai suppressed a groan. It had been too long of a day and she was too hungry to think. She'd ask Yugi later, when she was able to absorb things better. For now, she would let the matter drop; she would also trust him until he proved otherwise (she did not entirely have a choice in the matter and was willing to trust that Yugi was not secretly an evil sorcerer bent on world domination)

She felt two pairs of eyes on her and she blinked, looking over at where Ryou and Bakura were staring at her. She followed their gazes to what remained of her dress and she scowled. "Look somewhere else," she snapped defensively, crossing her arms over her chest.

Yugi turned red. "Oh no, I completely forgot about your dress!" he said in complete embarrassment. "Here, Grandpa always keeps spare dresses in the back for lady customers. Come on back with me and we'll find you something to wear."

Mai's entire face brightened at the mention of picking out a dress. Hopefully she could find one that was similar to her favorite dress, which was still back at the castle. She rose to her feet and pointedly ignored Bakura's and Marik's amused looks as she followed Yugi into the back of the shop.

* * *

><p>Valon carefully tied the dead rabbit's hind legs to the branch where three other rabbits hung, then handed it back to Jou. "I shoulda bumped into you sooner," he said, shaking his head wearily. "You coulda saved me a lotta 'untin' time."<p>

Jou grinned. "See? I have my uses," he said, his fangs glinting in the darkness.

The two of them had headed toward the southern boundary of Yugi's barrier, where rabbits were known to frequent the area but were wise to the nature of snares; Jou's enhanced night vision allowed him to see exactly where the rabbit holes where and, coupled with his sense of smell and his talons, was able to fish out the rabbits from their warrens.

Although the two of them had spent most of the time bickering, it was playful banter and entirely good-natured. The sense of camaraderie had only increased once the two of them had started hunting—Jou would find the rabbit holes and dig them up enough for Valon to snag the rabbits expertly by the ears and to break its neck. The rabbit count, counting the ones they had on a stick resting not too far away from them, totaled about nine. This last rabbit would do the trick for that night's dinner.

"I don' reckon the bunny's expected you t' come along," he said. "Poor buggers. Sound asleep in their 'oles one minute, the next they know this big ol' devils diggin' up their 'ome 'n' draggin' 'em out. Judgement day is on 'em."

"At least we didn't kill any babies or mothers," said Jou amicably, cuffing Valon's shoulder. "Don't make me out to be such an evil beast."

Valon laughed. "Naw, no worries. You're an okay fella," he said, but then his smile faded and he frowned.

Jou, who did not immediately notice because he was padding back to where they'd left the other rabbit carcasses, turned around in confusion when he realized Valon was not following him. "What's wrong?"

"You took Mai from 'er castle, righ'?"

Jou's face assumed a neutral expression. "Yeah, I did, though it wasn't from_ her_ castle, per say."

"…Why?"

The blond haired human grimaced. "I…let's just say that she's important and that there is a good reason I took her."

Valon's eyes narrowed. "Why? She's no magic user. Why would you nab 'er?" he demanded. "You're puttin' 'er in a lot o' danger. I mean, look where she ended up."

"Watch it, Valon. I'm keeping an eye on her," Jou said angrily. "And for the record, you guys chose to kidnap her and nearly get her killed by a bunch of overgrown lizards."

"So did you, and technically you _are_ a lizard," replied the Aurosian simply. "Wha's the difference?"

Jou folded his arms over his chest. "I'm nicer to her."

"'m nice t' 'er too, not t' mention I saved her twice from Kaiba's dragons 'n' saved her life a couple times b'fore them."

"I saved _both _of you from that prissy boy, last I checked, and I kept her comfortable in the time she was with me."

"Oh yeah? At least I'm not cursed. Beat tha'."

Jou fumed silently for a moment, his fists clenching at his sides before relaxing. His shoulders drooped. "Yeah, you've got a point," he admitted reluctantly, looking frustrated. He looked back up at Valon and said, "I've got to try and break this curse on me as quickly as I can, and Mai's really the only one I can trust to do it."

"But why?" pressed Valon. "You're puttin' 'er in danger on a slim chance she knows what t' do. 'ow do you know she c'n do it?"

"I can't tell you _exactly_ why," said Jou, wanting to slam his head into something out of frustration. "Not without a world of pain landing square on my shoulders. I can tell you that she's stubborn enough to get the job done and that, in the long run, it'll help her."

Valon looked at something through the trees before he turned back to Jou, a jarringly grim expression on his face. "Then you better make sure tha' she don' end up hurt, Jou, 'cause if you get 'er killed I'll end you myself. She's tough 'n' she's got a lotta spunk, but she's not invincible."

Jou's face smoothed and he drew himself up. "If I hurt her, Valon, then you can do just that," he said firmly, crimson eyes glowing. "But I won't let anything hurt her. Not now, not ever."

Valon looked as if he wanted to say something else but Jou tuned him out as a strange scent filtered into his nose. He went onto his toes, sniffing the air experimentally as his eyes started swiveling through the trees.

"Wha', you're actin' like a dog now?" asked Valon testily. "I knew you were more o' a dog th'n a dragon."

The other man's face darkened. "Shut up! I'm no dog!"

"So then why are you sniffin' like one?"

"…I smell something beyond the trees." said Jou, frowning in concentration and trying to identify the different scents. He could smell a campfire and the pine smoke coming from the pine boughs fueling them, the scent of men and horses, and something metallic he couldn't identify. "It's comin' from that way, and it smells like…guards? I dunno, maybe it's soldiers."

Valon suddenly looked interested. "Soldiers? Out 'ere? They always lodge in the village. Which way do you reckon they are?" he asked, also beginning to scan the trees.

"Out that way," said Jou, waving a taloned hand toward a break in the trees "It seems like they're near a river, from what I can tell. I can smell the water, but—"

"Well then I'll go check it out!" chirped the other young man brightly, already bounding into the forest. "Nice change in pace, really."

"Hey hey hey, wait!" yelled Jou indignantly, struggling to hold the sticks with the rabbit carcasses on them. "Where are you going?"

"T' find these so-called guards o' yours," retorted Valon as he turned. "Soldiers aren' ever this far in the woods when there's a village nearby. I wanna know why they're out 'ere. Somethin's up. You'd better 'ead on back—the river's on the other side o' Yugi's barrier 'n' since you're cursed it won' go so well f'r you."

"Weren't you going to eat?"

"Go ahead 'n' take the rabbits back f'r the others. I c'n get my own meals, don' you worry none 'bout me!" called Valon over his shoulder, waving jovially at him. "B'sides, the river's a couple 'ours from 'ere. I'll come back later!"

"Valon, don't you leave me here with these dead rabbits!" snarled Jou indignantly, but even as he spoke Valon was moving expertly through the trees and vanishing rapidly from view. "Oh never mind," he grumbled, taking to the air after adjusting the sticks in his arms. Mai was probably starving and chances were that Bakura was back—he might _marginally _trust Yugi, but there was no way was he leaving Mai defenseless when that lunatic was around.

* * *

><p>Mai gave the dress an experimental twirl. The entire gown was a deep shade of purple that matched her eyes; the sleeves hugged her arms and bared her shoulders, and the bodice, though low cut, was not enough to bare anything indecent. "What do you make your clothes out of?" she asked, stepping out from behind the changing screen.<p>

Yugi smiled. "Sometimes we go into town and bargain with the tailor shops, but traveling caravans often give us bolts of fabric in exchange for dinner and the like. We're very lax when it comes to payment, since we cater more to the forest folk than to the village."

"How come?" she asked, returning to the table. Bakura, Ryou, and Marik had been discussing what had transpired with Kaiba and had been since they had come in at another table across from her.

Bakura glanced at her when he heard her speak and snorted. "What use do they have for money?" he pointed out. "They simply barter with him for their supplies. The only time they charge money is if the customer has it or they're dealing with someone who needs the rarer items—you know, like dragon scales or difficult potions. Stupid, in my opinion."

There was a rustling from outside and then Jou traipsed in, carrying two large branches with dead rabbits strung on them. He saw Mai and actually stopped, his eyes lighting up and his face flushing. "Well, I see you got a new dress," he said, slightly stammering when she looked at him. "It, uh…you look good."

Mai raised an eyebrow. "Jou, you're blushing," she said, her smile stretching when Jou's face turned entirely red. "I take it you like what you see?"

Jou promptly looked away and handed Yugi the rabbits. "Here, Yugi. Rabbits for dinner—I'll get water or…or something. You know, like firewood," he said, turning on heel to walk out. In the process, though, he ended up running into a chair and tripped over it, causing Marik and Bakura to burst into laughter; Ryou grinned and Yugi looked like he was fighting a smile as well.

Mai giggled when Jou's embarrassed scowl landed on her. "You're the one who tripped, hon," she pointed out. "Don't blame me."

Jou turned pink and scrambled to his feet, already heading back out into the night. "Be back later!"

Yugi bent down to pick the branches up, then frowned as he looked around. "Where's Valon? He was with Jou, wasn't he?"

"If I know him any he probably found something that caught his interest and he went to explore," said Marik boredly. "Don't worry, Yugi, he'll be back later."

Mai looked back outside uncertainly. "At this time of day? He chooses to explore at this hour?"

Bakura snorted again. "It's no concern of mine. If you're so worried you can go look for him."

Ryou shook his head wearily. "Valon will be fine, Highness," he said as he rose to his feet, coming over to where Yugi was skinning the rabbits and starting to help. "He may have been born in Auros but he knows the forest as well as he knows the back of his hand. He'll manage on his own."

"And if he wants to eat? Didn't he come here to—?"

Yugi laughed. "He did, but don't worry. He'll be back once he remembers he's hungry."

Mai nodded slowly, then sat down. Her eyes went to where the Millennium Puzzle was still sitting and she remembered what he had said about losing something of hers. What had he meant? Mai would know if she had memory loss, wouldn't she?

After debating a moment she reached out to poke the necklace. Dinner was being made and Jou had returned. Maybe Yami would know what curse Jou was under. Her finger came into contact and despite the fact it was by the fire the gold was unnaturally cold beneath her fingertip. "Yami?"

"Don't expect him to come out," muttered Bakura under his breath, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the Puzzle. "He hates me as much as I despise him."

A dark laugh came from the Puzzle and Yami rematerialized in a wisp of swirling shadows. Jou snarled in surprise and backed away, almost stumbling until he hit the back wall. "Just for that I'll deign to appear," Yami said, folding his pale arms over his chest. "What is it you desire to know, maiden?"

Marik's face darkened and he pointedly looked away from Yami. The other man was not even remotely bothered by this, though, and his eyes swiveled onto him. "Ah, Marik. I had not even realized you were here."

The Enterran scowled. "And now I'm leaving," he said stiffly, getting out of his chair and striding out into the night. "I'll help Jou get firewood."

Mai frowned as he left the room. "Now what's wrong?" she asked exasperatedly. "Every time I turn around he's got something that he has a problem with."

Ryou smiled wryly. "Yami is the spirit of an Enterran king. Marik's family was supposed to guard the tombs of Enterran kings, but instead he robs from the graves. You can understand why they aren't too fond of each other."

Yami's gaze swept to Jou, who was still against the back wall and snarling. Yugi was trying to console him but Jou was having nothing of it. Likely the magic he could sense was the cause behind this sudden hostile display. "Ah, so you must be this…Jou…that I have heard so much of," Yami said, extending a friendly smile to him. "Put yourself at ease, cursed child, for I bear you no ill will."

Jou's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "The last guy who talked like you was the one who cursed me. What do you want, ghost?"

Yami's eyes swept over him attentively. "I am no ghost. You may not trust a magic user, but I can help you as best as I can," he replied calmly. "Yugi, you have identified a couple of the curses that I can see. Modified_ lycanthra reversum_, modified gag spell, shape-shifting curse…ah, and there's the source of her Highness' memory loss. A potent memory charm, weakened as it may be. There may be more than one person with this curse."

Yugi jumped, looking at Jou intently before nodding. "That's what that was," he said with a light of comprehension entering his eyes. "I think there's one more underneath it all that I couldn't identify. It almost looks like it's—"

"The conditional spell? Yes, that is what it is," said Yami. "You should recognize it, Yugi. Something similar has bound me to this puzzle—with no memory of the true name the spell cannot be lifted."

Mai stared. "What do you mean by memory loss? I haven't lost any of my memories," she huffed, folding her arms across her chest.

"Quite the contrary, young maiden. I can see the spell on your memory as plainly as I can see you," replied Yami evenly. "Somewhere along the way you were the victim of a memory charm—you have lost some of your memories."

Mai looked between Yugi and Yami in hopes that one of them would tell her that they were joking, but when neither side said anything and continued to meet her gaze she blanched. "What spell?" she demanded, looking between Yugi and Yami desperately. "I don't—no, you're wrong."

"Do not fret, young maiden," said Yami with a sigh. "The spell on you brings no physical harm and will not kill you, yet it is one that is rearranging that which you hold dear and obscuring what memory you may have lost."

Jou growled when he caught sight of her frightened face. "You're scaring her. Just come out and say what you mean to say instead of speaking mumbo jumbo," he snarled. "What's with you magic users and your long-winded talk?"

"Watch your tongue, cursed child," said Yami. "I only speak of that which I can see. Whether it is something you do not desire is not my concern. Besides, as you know you are in no power to say what it is that binds her memory."

Bakura looked bored and pointedly yawned, breaking the silence. "So the long and short of what you're saying is that as long as the conditional spell is in place she's affected by it. It seems the fool dragon isn't the only one under a spell."

A stunned silence fell, during which Ryou's and Yugi's gazes alternated between Yami, Mai, and Jou. Bakura merely rested his chin on his hand and examined his fingernails boredly; Marik came back inside, but at the tension he could perceive in the room he paused in the doorway.

"Jou's curse is linked to me?" Mai asked in a barely audible voice, staring at Jou in horror. "Why…what would my memory have to do with him? I don't…I don't even know him."

Jou looked away, his fists clenching at his sides.

Yugi ladled some of the stew into a wooden bowl and came over to where she was sitting. He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder as he set it in front of her. "Memory charms are easily lifted and their effects not always permanent. As soon as we figure out the terms of the conditional spell and meet them you'll likely regain whatever memories that are bound by the spell," he said, smiling comfortingly. "Now here—you're probably hungry and eating something will help. Rest assured, I'll do whatever it takes to help you break the spell."

Yami's eyes lingered on her dejected form for a moment. He looked oddly exhausted. "Yugi speaks a reassurance that I echo," he said tiredly. "Yugi, I must withdraw. You can manage on your own for now, correct?"

"I can," he replied, and Yami abruptly faded from view. "Take it easy, Yami."

Bakura rolled his eyes as the Puzzle stopped glowing. "Good riddance. Time's up for him. Now I can eat in peace," he said, dishing himself a bowl of stew.

Mai, on the other hand, was suddenly alarmed. "Wait, he can't just tell me I'm under a spell and then leave!" she said, reaching out for the Puzzle. She would shake it until he came back out again.

Yugi caught her hand. "You can't right now. It takes energy for Yami to materialize the way he does—he has to regain his strength before he can come out. If you talk to him now it'll take him longer before he's recovered," he explained. "There will be plenty of time tomorrow to talk to Yami and to get to the bottom of this."

Bakura huffed. "I'm not staying here overnight, and nor is my hostage. We're going," he said flatly, rising to his feet.

"Bakura, please. We can't go all the way back to the lair this late at night—the horses are exhausted and you haven't even finished eating," said Ryou quietly, stifling a yawn. "We can at least stay here for one night, if Yugi doesn't mind."

"Of course not," said Yugi instantly. "As long as Bakura doesn't steal anything you're more than welcome to stay. Marik, I have lentils and I can makesomething for you to eat."

Bakura scowled, looking at the small group (who were all giving him hopeful expressions) before throwing his hands in the air. "Oh all right, fine," he said irritably. "But one night only, and Yugi, you better not expect payment in return."

"We'll discuss that later," said Yugi dryly, ladling another spoonful of stew into a bowl and handing it to Ryou. "If you don't mind, Highness, why don't you help me cook up something for Marik to eat?"

"Thanks but no thanks," Marik said irritably, already moving out of sight. "I'll get my own food. No doubt Her Highness won't want to dirty her hands with something so—"

"I'll help," Mai cut over him briskly, getting out of her chair. "I need something to distract me anyways. Show me what to do, Yugi."

Yugi set her on the task of slicing up a variety of vegetables after showing her how to do it, and after a slow start Mai got the hang of slicing the peppers and the other vegetables Yugi had in his store; Jou's claws were sharp enough for him to help her, so he also fell to helping her. They didn't say anything, however, just simply content to focus on their tasks.

There was quite a bit that they had to think about.

* * *

><p>Valon picked his way through the darkness carefully, making certain not to step on any errant twigs or get his foot caught in a tree root. He could hear the sound of the men as he came closer and he paused, frowning. Jou had mentioned catching the scent of the river, yet he was still about twenty minutes from the water; maybe he had been mistaken about the exact location.<p>

Why Valon had volunteered to find out what Jou had caught scent of had a simple answer to it. If there were guards out here, that meant that they were either from another kingdom or from the one Mai had been taken from; there was a high chance that his friends were with these guards and this was one chance that Valon could not afford to ignore.

He paused when he heard raucous laughter and firelight began filtering through the trees. He heard the sound of someone moving through the underbrush and he ducked back into the shadows of an old oak that had half-fallen. A moment later a man wandered drunkenly through the woods; he could not see too much of his appearance, but he could hear the clanking of his armor and realized that this was a soldier of some kind.

His eyes narrowed and he moved closer to the fire he could now see, taking care to stay in the shadows. It was slow going, though, and he hated how he was forced to walk as quietly as he could manage. He finally reached the outer edge of the fire and halted just out of sight of the men sitting around it.

He counted three men that were sitting around the fire, talking loudly and eating what appeared to be roasted venison; he could see the remains of the deer carcass not too far away. If he counted the one he'd passed on his way here that made four guards that were at this camp.

His eyes shifted onto the men. Two of them had leather caps on and their backs to him, and he couldn't discern anything about their features. The one man he could see was facing him, a balding, bearded man who appeared to be mid-age; there was a strange circle around his eye that reflected in the firelight and he squinted at it, trying to figure out what it was. When Valon couldn't figure out what it was he gave up on it and instead turned his gaze to a nearby shield leaning against a tree.

He immediately recognized the emblem on its front—a black dragon taking flight over a castle tower—and stiffened.

That emblem…that was the same one that had been on the shields of the prince's guards when Raphael, Alister, and nearly two dozen other men had been taken to the palace. That was what he had been told when he'd returned and found his friends gone.

A small flower of hope began blooming in his chest. Could it be possible that his friends were with this group? These men were too far from the castle and completely off the beaten path that led to the village; they didn't seem to be panicked, which meant they weren't lost…someone had to have led them here. This spot was one where he and his friends had stayed at during overnight hunting trips and not a very well known one at that—that _had_ to mean that Raphael and Alister had brought them here, right?

He had been so caught up in his thoughts and in his growing happiness at the chance of his friends being back in the forest that he had forgotten his surroundings. It was not until he heard the twig snapping behind him that he came back out of his thoughts and whirled around defensively.

He had not reacted fast enough. His attacker delivered a vicious backhand to him and the force of it knocked him to the ground, into the circle of light that was cast by the fire. Even as he fell, though, he was already back on his feet and lunging forward to retaliate.

The men at the campfire were clearly startled by the sight of Valon tumbling into their midst and their reaction time was delayed; they started shouting as they scrambled to their feet, the balding man starting to give out rapid-fire orders. Valon had enough time to retreat just out of sight of the fire before they reached their weapons, but the hidden man in the shadows immediately resumed his attack the moment the Aurosian made it back into the trees.

Valon had not spent his time idly before he'd arrived at this forest. He had been a prize fighter in a traveling circuit for a short time after his mother had died and had been briefly imprisoned before finally leaving the troupe and entering the forest, where he met Raphael and Alister. It had been some time since he had fought, but his instincts had not dulled and he leapt into the battle with renewed energy.

His opponent had drawn his sword in the amount of time that Valon had been off balance but the teenager could see well enough in the darkness and dodged the blade that whistled over his head. He then spun on his heel and put himself into his assailant's space, knocking him off balance with an expert sweep of the feet that took out the other man's stance, forcing him to his knees. Once the man had fallen Valon caught his wrists and twisted his arms behind him, putting his foot between the man's shoulder blades.

This would have been the point that he dislocated his attacker's shoulders, but before he could manage it something that felt like a sword hilt slammed into the back of his skull and he stumbled, his vision bursting with stars. Seconds later he hit the ground face first and an armored boot pinned him down; someone grabbed a hold of his arms to restrain him and he fought back weakly, too disoriented to truly fight.

"Geddof me!" he snarled, his voice half muffled by the fallen leaves and the dirt. He kicked out at the man pinning him down and struggled to breathe as he tried to free himself—whoever was pinning him down was putting their full weight on his back.

"Who are you?" asked a haughty voice coldly. "What business do you have traipsing through the woods at this hour, you miscreant?"

"Like i's any o' your business, you git!" he retorted, still struggling to free himself. "Lemme go!"

The man he had been fighting with returned to his feet and came over to them. "You reckon that he's a spy?" he asked, glowering at Valon with intense dislike.

"I'm almost certain he is, Keith. He certainly does not sound as if he's from this region, and the Thief King's men have been known to have accents similar to his. Good work in apprehending him."

Valon struggled again, fighting furiously to break free. "'m no spy, you ugly arse!" he snapped. "I live 'ere 'n' I can walk where I want, so lemme loose b'fore I kick your lousy stinkin'—!"

The foot lifted off his shoulder blades abruptly and before Valon could react something metallic collided with the side of his head with enough force to knock him onto his side a few feet away—he'd been kicked. He could taste blood in his mouth and his vision began to darken. The earlier blow he'd suffered was starting to affect him.

"You're obviously lying," came the annoyed reply. "And watch your language, boy. You are speaking to an elder and you will address me as such. We'll drag the reason for your presence out of you yet."

The darkness that had been threatening to obscure his vision consumed it entirely. His eyes slipped closed and in spite of all his inward protests Valon fell into unconsciousness.


	16. Dealings with the Guards

_All righty, so here's the next chapter! I would have had this up much sooner, except troubles signing up for summer classes prevented me from doing anything related to this story. I finished the chapter, though, and now I've got it up for all of you!_

_Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this (slightly late) update!_

* * *

><p>Jou pulled the blanket over Mai's sleeping form gently, his eyes softening as he looked down at her. "G'night, Mai," he murmured, carefully padding out of the room.<p>

Mai had gone to bed the moment she finished the meal, not even pausing to say good night to anyone; judging by the dark and upset expression he had caught a glimpse of it as she'd left the room it was safe to say that she was still dwelling on earlier events and on her lost memories.

Marik, Bakura, and Ryou had all gone to bed as well, though Bakura had stayed awake as long as he could to make absolutely sure no one would come in the night; when his eyes started drifting closed, however, Yugi had firmly escorted the protesting man to a bed. As far as he knew the shorter man was awake, likely working on some spell or a potion.

Jou closed her door behind him before going down the hall. Yugi was still awake, at least, so for now Jou would keep him company—maybe Yugi could make headway on the curse and find a way to break it so that he could return to normal.

The curse.

His face darkened and he let out a low snarl. The stupid spell had caused him nothing but trouble, and what was doubly frustrating was that he could not tell anyone anything about it. He knew now that the only way to break the spell was if someone said his real name, but there was no way he could tell anyone what his name was. He also could not tell Mai why she had been cursed…and there was no way for him to ask about his sister, either.

He stopped in the doorway to the shop, clenching one of his taloned hands. Was his sister even alive now, or had she died from the illness she suffered from? The curse that had been placed on him prevented him from even asking remotely about her, so the only way he would get information was if someone spoke of her first—which, given the fact that no one knew who he was, was almost impossible.

_You look troubled._

He jumped, his eyes going to the table where the Millennium Puzzle still sat. "Of course I am," he growled, his hackles rising. He could catch the feeling of Shadow magic even from here and wanted nothing of it.

A chuckle entered his hearing. _Relax, boy,_ Yami said jovially, and though he could not see him Jou could feel a pair of eyes watching him. _Right now I am merely recovering my strength. You seek out Yugi's company, correct?_

Jou bristled, troubled by how accurately Yami had guessed what he was doing. "Maybe I am," he admitted reluctantly. "But then again I don't even trust him, given what magic he's using. Maybe I don't want to have anything to do with him for all you know."

_Do not speak ill of someone you do not know. Yugi is not a member of that pitiable Council that you fear so much, nor does he use his magic for malignant purposes,_ Yami replied, his voice sharp with rebuke. _He is remarkably kind. He will do what it takes to free you, cursed child._

"He uses Shadow magic, the same way Bakura does. I don't exactly think that—"

_You are like the princess. You know nothing of Shadow magic. As I keep telling all of you, magic, whether it is Shadow or otherwise, is like a sword—it is neither good nor evil until its owner wields it. Even so, boy, Shadow magic is impersonal. It carries no grudge and cannot hold the feelings of the user. It simply carries out its master's designs. The people who many believed were cursed with Shadow magic were instead under the control of a spell of dark origins._

"Dark magic, Shadow magic. Isn't that the same thing?"

A condescending laugh sounded. _They are _nothing_ alike, boy, and in fact "dark" magic does not exist. If not trained properly or if one tries to wield a spell beyond their ability to control, the magic turns inward on its wielder and ultimately causes the insanity that many who you claim wield dark magic suffer from. The difference between them is that "dark" magic ultimately has evil outcomes when cast—Shadow magic does not._

Jou rubbed the back of his head. "My head hurts."

Another laugh came from the Puzzle. _Many receive one when talking about magic and the diversity of it, as well as the specifics behind wielding it. Now, if you seek Yugi's company he is upstairs. It will be fairly obvious as to where he is, once you go up._

"…O…kay." Jou eyed the space where he believed Yami might be hovering weirdly before he turned to leave.

_Ahem._

"What?"

There was a long silence, followed by a heavy sigh. _Yugi…forgot to bring me upstairs with him. The fire is waning and I do not like the dark._

Jou shot a startled glance at the fire, which was only smoldering but still casting light through the room. "You're afraid of the dark?" he asked, grinning when there was no immediate reply. "I outgrew that fear when I was four and you're telling me that the all powerful Yami gets nervous when the lights go out?"

_I spent nearly three thousand years trapped in a darkness that not even the strongest light could penetrate. I do not desire to remain in a place that reminds me of my captivity._

Jou's grin slid off his face at the stiffly spoken reply. "That long?" he asked. "Why?"

_…I do not know._

The amount of reluctance to admit this much was tangible. Jou could not understand how anyone could not know the reason behind their captivity. Then he suddenly remembered what Yami had said about being trapped in the puzzle, when he had said that Mai was bound by a similar spell. "You don't have your memories, do you?" he guessed quietly. "You don't even know your name."

_I only know the duration of my captivity and my origins, thanks to Yugi's grandfather. Beyond that, nothing is mine. My name, my freedom, my memories…everything was taken from me._

Jou winced at the misery he could hear in Yami's voice. "I can sympathize at least a little," he said, padding over and carefully picking up the golden Puzzle. "I haven't lost nearly as much as you, but still. I get what you're saying."

He started for the stairs, ignoring the way the cold that emanated from the Puzzle was seeping into his scales and making him inwardly shudder. With all of his senses heightened by his acquired draconic abilities anything that held magic caused this reaction. "Now, where'd you say Yugi was upstairs?" he asked as he climbed up the narrow passage.

_Trust me. You will know where he is when you see him. It is hard to miss, actually._

* * *

><p>The chill of the early morning seeped through the blanket and was enough to wake him up. He slipped out of the bedroll, stifling a yawn as he came out from under the shadow of a tree.<p>

It had been some time since Raphael had been in these woods and it took him a moment to regain his bearings. Things had changed in the amount of time that he had been gone; whole parts of the forest had been completely obliterated, the earth scorched and deep trenches dug into it. He knew there had not been a fire since he had gone to the castle, so what had caused the destruction was a mystery to him. Hopefully no one he knew had been involved.

Raphael glanced to the other four bedrolls that were around the fire. So far it seemed that the rest of the men were still asleep, though one bedroll was rolled up and stacked neatly against a log. This would be Alister, he noted with an exasperated smile. The red-haired man had always been the first one to stir, always waking up the moment the sun started to rise.

The men at this camp composed of either forest folk or guards he knew; the prince had assigned some of the men he'd brought back with him to the kingdom to accompany Raphael as well. He had been ordered to place those men at the glen where they were supposed to meet Bakura. He had put one additional man there just in case something went wrong, but beyond that he had sent one of the men back to the castle and now they were both waiting; the prince had requested a scout to return with news after they arrived at their designated spots.

The sun was just starting to rise as he made his way to the river. He splashed water on his face—he had always had trouble waking up—and then started into the forest, moving along a barely visible path through the grass. He knew Alister enough to know that the redhead was hunting, likely enjoying the first time he'd been outside the palace walls since his arrival at tha castle; the younger man had always valued solitude even when he had been staying with his friends and living in shared quarters had never been to his liking.

Though Raphael had not been in this part of the forest for nearly a year and a half he was able to find his way easily enough. His feet had traveled this path countless times before; this part of the forest was perfect for finding rabbits and medicinal herbs. He paused in an open clearing and watched the long grass carefully, his eyes sweeping through the area. There had been one unfortunate accident that had happened because someone had been hunting in the grass and had mistaken Valon for a deer, nearly pegging the boy to the nearest tree.

At that thought he sighed. He had not seen or heard from Valon at all since he had been at the castle. Raphael had tried sending letters, as had Alister, but unfortunately their youngest friend only had rudimentary skills in reading and did not send anything back. Whether the boy was all right or not was something he did not know. Raphael could only hope that he was, since so far he had seen no signs of—

Something caught his ankle and he jumped, looking down at the rope that was currently wrapped around his foot. He stared at it in surprise, his eyes following the rope to the peg that was driven into the ground. He'd gotten caught in a snare.

There was an amused chuckle off to his left. "I got caught in one earlier as well," said Alister as he materialized from the shadow of a nearby oak tree, his eyes also drawn to the snare. "We've been out of the woods for too long."

Raphael bent down to untie the rope. "Too long indeed," he replied, making sure not to snap the rope and not to unknot it completely. One of the unwritten rules of the forest was to never destroy someone's traps. "I didn't know that was even there until I shifted my weight."

Alister's eyes were still on the rope. "Raphael, do you recognize the rather sloppy slipknot you're untying?" he asked, trying not to grin.

The burly man paused, studying the rope for the first time. He'd been having trouble getting disentangled from the snare and it was not until Alister had pointed it out that he focused on the knot. It was some variant of a slipknot, he knew, but whoever had tied this had knotted over the back of the slipknot with another badly tied one; this only guaranteed a fifty percent chance of catching anything, since one good tug would cause the knot to unravel.

There was only one person in the whole forest who tied snares like this.

"Valon's been here," he said in realization, looking over to the freshly dug earth where the peg was. "And based on this, he's been here sometime in the past two days."

The realization gave him some relief and he smiled. At least Valon was still alive—that was a small comfort, to say the least.

"Who knows? We may actually bump into him while we're out here," remarked Alister with a barely noticeable smile. "I wouldn't be surprised."

"What's he doing this far out, though?" Raphael asked with a frown, his smile fading. "He never comes out here unless he's with someone. This part of the woods isn't one he's familiar with."

"Then again, Raphael, he probably had to change a few of his habits since we've been gone," Alister remarked quietly. "Whatever caused the destruction that we've been seeing wiped out a lot of our familiar hunting grounds, including any pre-existing snares or high-hides. Valon probably had to adapt because of that."

Alister then gestured to where Raphael could see a long stick with rabbits strung on it, all with arrow shafts through their eyes. The red-haired man always aimed for the eyes to avoid mangling the meat on whatever prey he hunted; that was part of the reason Alister was such an accurate archer. "I think that'll feed the men. They're probably looking for you, anyways. We'd better head back."

The two of them began trudging their way back through the long grass and toward their camp, chatting amicably as they familiarized themselves with the forest once more. When Raphael and Alister returned, however, it was to find a grizzled looking man with dark brown hair talking quietly with the other men; those who Raphael recognized as forest folk looked grim, while those who were from the castle merely looked uncertain.

Raphael recognized the newcomer. That was one of the men he had stationed at Gurimo's camp, a castle guard who was the same age as he was. "Jethro, what are you doing here?" he asked as he came back.

"Captain, they caught someone last night when I was delivering the report to you. They wouldn't let me come here until the sun was up, but now it's risen and you need to come quickly," replied Jethro firmly.

"Jethro says it's a spy from Bakura's camp," added another young man. This one was named Corda and was also one of the castle guards, older than Valon by only months; his black hair was tousled from sleep and his green eyes looked troubled.

"A spy?" repeated a man from behind them, sounding skeptical. This was one of the forest folk, his ginger hair curling around his head; Adias, as he was called, often received jokes because of it. "Everyone in the forest knows that Bakura and his men keep to the interior of the forest. It's common knowledge. Besides, Bakura doesn't care for sending spies—if anything, he goes himself."

"If you say so, Adias. I only am telling you what Gurimo is saying," said Jethro. He turned back to meet Raphael's gaze and said grimly, "I don't like it, Captain. The boy they've caught can't be any older than seventeen, at best."

That certainly wasn't good news. There were plenty of teenage boys and young men who still lived in these woods. Gurimo was not from this area at all and had shown distinct disdain at the concept of people living willingly in the forest; it would be too easy for Gurimo to jump to conclusions and start in on their captive, who could very well be an innocent bystander.

The end result of this situation would only bring trouble, Raphael knew. A good portion of the prince's guard was made of forest folk, including himself and Alister. If this boy Gurimo and the other guards had captured was the son of any of those men here or at the castle…well. Rebellion was certainly only one of the many things that could happen as a result.

"I don't know him," Jethro answered. "I do know that I don't like the direction things are going. They were only asking him questions at first, but then he started fighting back and now…it's not helping the lad that he keeps fighting back, though because of his accent it's hard to  
>understand what he's saying half the time. It almost sounds as if he's from Auros—but what's an Aurosian doing in these parts?"<p>

Alister and Raphael exchanged alarmed glances.

Someone had been caught who, because of his Aurosian accent, was suspected of being a spy for Bakura. The snare they'd found close by their camp. The only person they knew of who would openly fight back against guards from the castle, rather than submit quietly.

_Valon._

"Jethro, head back and tell Gurimo not to do anything further to him," Raphael ordered sharply. "If he argues, tell him _I_ said to stop. I'm going there personally to deal with this," he continued, heading for where his horse was tied to the tree. "Until I return, Adias, you're in charge."

Adias dipped his head in acknowledgement. "Of course."

Raphael saddled his own horse and within ten minutes of Jethro's arrival he was starting down the horse trail. He jumped when he heard another horse from behind him and turned in time to spot Alister coming toward him on his own mount. He debated on ordering Alister back to the camp, but then he shook his head—the redhead would only ignore him.

Besides, both of them had a very good reason to go.

* * *

><p><em>"Admit it, we're lost."<em>

_He looked back at her with a scowl. "We are NOT lost—we're merely misdirected."_

_"Uh huh." She raised an eyebrow. "What happened to pushing our way through the hedges?"_

_"That was before I nearly got stuck in one," he retorted, tugging her along the path. "Besides, this just means more time to stay with friends, right?"_

_"Friends?" she asked slowly. _

_"Well, sure. I've got a whole bunch of other friends too, you know, and they're all awesome. My sister likes hanging out with them, but I think she'd like you too."_

_"She'd be the first," she muttered, feeling downcast. Too many times in the past had others taken advantage of her friendship, and too many times she had returned the favor—any visiting royal children tended to ignore her by now, if not openly hate her._

_He stopped. "You…do you have any friends?"_

_She looked away, suddenly embarrassed. "Why bother? Too many of them will only betray you in the end," she said bitterly. "It's better to have pawns to play. I can take care of myself."_

_He eyed her dejected countenance for a long moment before breaking into a grin. "Well then_ I'll _be your friend," he announced. "Friends are better than pawns, right?"_

_She stared at him in surprise. "What?"_

_"C'mon, we'll have lots of fun together. I know a whole bunch of games we can play, and you probably know some too," he continued excitedly. "Granted, you're mostly familiar with girly games, but maybe we could bring my sister into it and—"_

_She stopped, pulling back against him. She did not know what to make of this sudden declaration—people had said things like this before to her and they had ended in misery. Besides, he had only just met her. How could he be so willing to be her friend so soon? He did not even know her._

_"Hey."_

_She jumped when his eyes met hers, his face sobering as he took her hand into both of his. "You can count on me to be your friend," he said seriously. "I promise that I won't ever betray you or manipulate you. Not now, not ever."_

_She tried to be skeptical of this promise, but much to her disbelief she found she couldn't. She actually believed him._

_"So what do you say, Mai? Mai?..."_

"…Mai. Maiiiiii."

She groaned, flopping over and pulling the pillow over her head. "No, go 'way," she mumbled sleepily.

"Mai, you've gotta try these. They're good." Someone gently pried the pillow off of her head. "Like, seriously. You gotta have one."

"Have what?" she asked, giving up on sleeping and instead sitting up.

Jou grinned at her, his fangs glinting in the sunlight filtering through the window. "Yugi calls 'em pancakes," he said, scooping her into his arms (blankets and all) and bouncing from the room. "They're so good and wonderful and they're goin' fast!"

"Jou, put me down this instant!" she squealed in alarm, her arms going around his neck instinctively.

Jou skidded to a halt in the main room, where Yugi was tending to something over the fire. Marik and Ryou were at a table and chatting gaily about something, while Bakura was in a corner of the room and reluctantly looking satisfied with his food. Something sweet smelling was coming from a pan in the fireplace and Mai's mouth started watering. "You done with those yet?" he asked.

"Patience, Jou," Yugi laughed, flipping small, circular cakes onto a wooden plate. "I have a couple, but I think the princess would like to eat."

"Mai's not that hungry," Jou whined, but then Mai cuffed him over the head. He yelped, setting her down.

"You were the one who dragged me out of bed insisting that I eat these 'wonderful' pancakes—whatever they are," she said as she sat in an empty chair by the fire. "Don't tell me I don't even get any of them. What _are _pancakes?"

"My grandfather used to make these all the time," Yugi said gaily, pouring something golden over the top of the cakes before setting the plate in front of Mai. "Coupled with syrup from our maple trees out back, these are really good."

Mai picked up a wooden fork and, after eyeing the pancakes for a moment longer, took a bite of one. She could have melted at the taste that permeated her mouth and whimpered happily. "Jou wasn't kidding," she said reverently, taking another bite. "Where have these been all my life?"

"Say what you will about Yugi, but even Kaiba can't resist a pancake when it's offered," said Ryou.

Bakura snorted. "Oh please. He doesn't deign to eat with the common folk."

"You'd be surprised," replied Yugi, handing Jou another plate of pancakes. "Even he stops by once in a while, mostly to drop off the scales from his dragons for me to use in my potions. Speaking of him, why have you been at odds with each other, Bakura? I've seen the damage to the forest and every now and then your men stop by for healing potions."

"He's under the impression that we de-scaled one of his dragon's kits," Marik said when Bakura scowled and looked away.

Yugi looked horrified. "You wouldn't. Bakura, you wouldn't…you couldn't…!"

_Even you would not be so foolish as to incur the wrath of the dragons, thief,_ said Yami from the puzzle, causing Mai to jump—she had not even realized Yami was present until his voice came from the puzzle around his neck. _If you were so reckless and so heartless as to harm a defenseless infant, Bakura, my opinion of you has dropped even lower._

"Of course not, imbecile," snapped Bakura, "but he's gained the impression that we are responsible because he's claiming to have seen us—or at least, someone who looks an awful lot like Marik."

The Enterran froze. "You didn't say anything about that last night," he said, dropping his fork and looking utterly horrified. "You…was it an exact look alike?"

"Now how should I know?" retorted Bakura. "All he said was that he saw an Enterran with your features at the den. He claims to have seen me as well, though that's doubtful."

Mai took another bite of her pancake. "So what's the problem?" she asked, perfectly content. The pancakes were absolutely divine and the sun was shining—it was too early in the morning to be stressing out over so much.

"Marik and Bakura weren't anywhere the dragon's den at the time. We were all in Metheren, robbing the tombs and the nobles there," said Ryou. "We can't prove it, but Marik at the very least certainly wasn't here."

She shrugged. "So he has a twin brother, then."

The sudden silence that fell made Mai look up. Marik had completely paled, his eyes wide in alarm and his hands clenched tightly at either side of his plate. Bakura and Ryou exchanged baffled glances, while Jou's head cocked to the side and Yugi's face shifted into a concerned look.

"You don't have a twin brother, do you?" asked Yugi slowly. "You've only ever mentioned Rishid and Ishizu, but never—"

Marik abruptly rose from his chair, not looking at any of them. "I'll be back. I stink and I have dried blood on my clothes to get off," he said, striding out the door before anyone could move. "I'll be at the river."

Mai, meanwhile, looked at Yugi in surprise. Marik had siblings? How come she had not seen them? Then again, perhaps they weren't thieves themselves—maybe they were still in Enterra, unwilling to consider that their younger brother was going against their traditions and beliefs?

Bakura rolled his eyes. "One idiot gone and another following after him. I'll be back," he growled, getting to his feet. "Ryou, our royal guest isn't to go anywhere."

"I don't think she will, considering where she is and the curse Jou's under," replied Ryou tiredly.

Bakura eyed them for a moment before slipping out into the morning, muttering irritably in Enterran.

Mai halfway rose to her feet in alarm. "Wait, Ryou, did he leave the book?"

Ryou's eyes glazed for a moment, but then his eyes cleared and he shook his head. "I'm afraid not. He's got it with him—in his own words 'why leave a reason for the princess to take a chance and escape?'"

Mai groaned and dropped her head onto the table. "Fantastic. How do you know what he's thinking, anyways?" she asked, looking at the white-haired man from under her hair.

"It's an ability that both Yami and Bakura have," explained Ryou. "Because we're Shadow wielders we can mentally communicate with them, since they're directly linked to the items."

_At one point Ryou and Yugi housed a portion of our souls—a price that both Bakura and I paid when we were sealed was having our souls split in half, with one remaining bound to the items and the other lying dormant in the family lines that were destined to wield the items. When Yugi and Ryou came into contact with the items the portion of soul we were missing was restored, allowing us the freedom to materialize._

"A partial freedom, in Yami's case," Yugi amended gently. "Without knowing his real name, he's forced to remain as he is now."

"Wait half a minute. Yami's three thousand years old—you're telling me Bakura's that old too?" asked Jou in disbelief. Noticing Mai's confused expression he added, "That's what you told me last night, Yami…isn't it?"

_Bakura is truly that old, as am I,_ said Yami in agreement. _You are not mistaken, cursed child. The only reason Bakura is free and not strictly bound to the Ring—and no, it is not something worn around the finger—is because he retains his memory._

"Bound to the…so Bakura does have a Shadow item," said Mai, realization dawning on her. That was how the thief could wield the Shadows…come to think of it, hadn't there been a glow coming from around his neck when he had tied up Jou in the clearing?

"He does," said Ryou amicably. "At one point it was mine, but in order to retain a body Bakura has to keep it on him at all times. If someone removes it, he's forced to return inside the Millennium Ring and…"

He clapped his hands over his mouth and looked horrorstruck. "I wasn't supposed to say that!" he mumbled, eyes wide. "Oh no, oh no, I got so caught up in explanation mode that I said it without thinking!"

"I won't tell anyone, and neither will Jou," Mai assured him, coming over to pat his shoulder. "You're with friends, none of us are going to take advantage of that."

Yami remained conspicuously silent.

"That meant you, Yami," said Yugi sternly. "Don't worry, Ryou, we'll keep that to ourselves. _Won't_ we, Yami?"

_Oh come now, Yugi. How could I bring harm or misfortune to the thief from here?_

_"_Yami, I know how you work. You'll find a way," said Yugi with a touch of wry exasperation. He returned to the pancakes and once more began eating. "Now, everybody eat up. We've got a lot of spells to sort through and potions to make if we're going to try and free Jou from the curse."

Jou instantly brightened and came over to get more pancakes from the shorter man (she had no idea how many servings he'd had before she'd been pulled out of bed, but no one should have been able to pack away all the food he was consuming). "Excellent!"

Mai grinned before starting to eat as well. The food was good and the atmosphere was lightening even after Marik had left, and with any luck the spell would be broken by the time Bakura returned. Things were looking up.

After breakfast had been cleared the group moved upstairs to Yugi's workshop; upon her arrival upstairs she felt her mouth drop open and gasped in amazement.

There were no rooms up here and the space been cleared entirely to reveal a large area that made the landing. A circle with varying runes had been set into the floor, a barrel of salt nearby it and lined by unlit candles. Shelves filled with countless jars filled with varying items lined one wall of this room, while a cauldron had been set up burning over a blue fire; on another wall was a bookcase filled with spell books that were written in various languages and were in varying conditions.

A trunk in the corner that was covered in runes was locked, but when Yugi had opened it briefly to pull out several scrolls from some nameless compartment Mai had noticed the glimmering white scales filling one quarter of the trunk to the brim (and hereby answering where Yugi stored the White Dragon scales); countless other items that she couldn't identify lined the walls and floor, and there was a locked room in the back of the space.

The air was charged with magic. Mai could feel it the moment she stepped into the space and she turned to where Yugi was coming up the stairs. He caught her eye and smiled. "Let's get to it," he said brightly, waving his staff toward the candles to light them. "Ryou, start up a discerning potion. Jou, go to the shelf and pick out _Moste Potente Curses _from the shelf—it's a large, tattered book with a green cover. Princess, come on over here and help me sort through this pile of scrolls to see if we can't find something—they hold descriptions of modifications to spells and how to alter them."

Mai came over curiously and immediately understood why Yugi had enlisted her help—some of them were written in old English, while many others were written in different languages. Mai's tutors had taught her how to read these languages, which was probably why Yugi had recruited her for this task.

As she fell to work on the pile of scrolls, though, she remembered the irritated words Bakura had spoken before he had left: _One idiot gone…_"Yugi?"

When three pairs of eyes went to her Mai met their gazes and asked, "Where's Valon?"

Yugi blinked. "I…don't know. I'd thought he was here, but…Yami, did he come back last night?"

_I am afraid not. The cursed child brought me upstairs sometime after the moon passed its highest peak, but Valon had not returned._

"And I didn't see him this morning at all. If he was here we would have seen him by now by now—he never turns down food," said Ryou, also looking worried.

"Maybe he found someplace else to be?" asked Jou. "I mean, if he's forest folk he probably found someone to stay with last night. He mentioned the river was a couple hours away, so maybe he decided that it would be better to stay there."

"He would have found a way to let me know he wasn't coming back," replied Yugi grimly. "Either he's found something that's caught his attention and he forgot to get in touch—which happens a lot—or he's in trouble."

Jou shifted. "I caught the scent of some men by the river and he said he was going to check it out."

Ryou frowned in thought. "Maybe he's interacting with them. If they're from the castle they probably have news of his friends—that's probably why he's been gone so long. It could be that he's hanging around them for information."

Mai nodded slowly. That made an odd amount of sense…but it did nothing to ease the growing worry for the Aurosian.

* * *

><p>Well, Ryou had been half-right. Too bad it wasn't Valon who was asking the questions at that moment.<p>

The boy spat some blood out of his mouth and glared at the man who'd just backhanded him. They'd been questioning him since he'd regained consciousness hours ago, but only after the sun had risen they had started kicking him around. "You, sir, 'it like a girl," he said, a taunting grin lighting his features.

The man—clad in armor and with messy, greasy blond hair, cruel blue-gray eyes, and answered to the name of Keith—scowled. "You little brat!"

He raised his foot to kick him, but Valon maneuvered his body so that his bound together feet lashed out at his attacker. The man made an odd groaning whine as Valon's feet drove into the area between his legs, an area not shielded by armor, and the guard collapsed with a wheeze.

Keith was not the only casualty. Other men around him were bruised, bloodied, and keeping their distance from him. They'd been forced to tie Valon thoroughly in order to prevent him from escaping, though as a result they'd all been punched, bit, and kicked multiple times; the only one who had escaped harm so far was Gurimo, who had wisely allowed the men to interrogate him and kept his distance.

Clearly Gurimo's patience with him had ended. "Enough of this," he growled, stepping forward authoritatively. "Tell us the truth, brat, and I might show you mercy."

He snorted. "Wha' mercy, you git? You've been kickin' me around 'n' tyin' me up like 'm some kinda turkey, not t' mention treatin' me like a wanted crim'nal…and you expect me t' be nice? Screw you."

Gurimo's eye twitched. "It's your own fault."

"Right. My own fault f'r livin' in the woods 'n' stumblin' onto your camp. I forgot—right silly o' me, innit?" he retorted. "F'r the final time 'm not anyone's spy, so lemme loose! I keep tellin' you I live 'ere!"

"Lies," said Gurimo instantly. "You're from Auros. Why else would you be here, unless Bakura picked you up?"

"It couldn' be because I actually like it 'ere in the forest instead of bein' stuck on an island," Valon snapped. "Bugger off, you git, 'n' let me go!"

Gurimo knocked the boy back against the tree trunk and then stood on the boy's legs to prevent Valon from kicking him. Next he knelt down and grabbed Valon's chin, forcing him to look the other man in the eyes. "I'm about out of patience for your antics, boy. Either cooperate and answer my questions or I drag you back to the castle and drag the information out of you in the most painful way possible. Maybe you won't even make it that far—maybe I'll execute you out here instead for kidnapping and burglary. After all, the reason you won't answer my questions is because you're one of Bakura's men, aren't you?"

Valon struggled to get loose, but when that failed and Gurimo's grip turned into an almost jaw-breaking one (not to mention the screaming pain from the weight on his knees) he did the only thing he could think of: he straightened up and spat directly in the man's face.

It was probably not one of his better ideas, he reflected as Gurimo reared back in disgust, but it was better than having a broken jaw and dislocated knees.

In the next second Gurimo's armor-plated boot crashed into the side of Valon's head and the blow sent him sprawling, his vision already starting to darken—he'd been hit a little too much in the head over the past few hours and this last blow was too much.

At the same time he hit the ground, however, someone's angry voice echoed through the clearing and in the moment before he lost consciousness he realized that he recognized that voice.

* * *

><p>It had been a long time since Raphael had been this angry, but as he came into the clearing and saw Gurimo kick Valon to the ground fury rolled over him in waves.<p>

"_What do you think you are doing?"_ he nearly roared, dismounting his horse in a blur of motion and striding across the clearing, anger practically radiating from him.

Two of the men jumped, backing away from the furious and bristling figure of their captain as he strode into their midst. Even Gurimo had enough common sense to back away from the larger man, though he did not move far.

Raphael's furious gaze swept to where Valon was on his side, battered and out cold, before his eyes went to Gurimo. "You had better explain to me what you were doing, Gurimo. _Now."_

Gurimo lifted his head proudly. "Captain, we found this vagrant at the edge of the clearing spying on us. For all we know he could be a spy for Bakura's—"

"I warned you when we first came here," Raphael said furiously, cutting over Gurimo's reply. His eyes went to each of the men gathered. "I ordered that no one was to bring any harm to any of the forest folk, no matter what the circumstances."

He gestured to Valon's limp, bound form and fixed them with a cold glare. "Does he look unharmed to you?"

As his angry gaze went from man to man he felt an uncharacteristic surge of savage delight when he noticed that almost every one of them had been bruised or hurt in some fashion—Valon had left his mark on his attackers before succumbing, at least.

A man he identified as Keith straightened up and hobbling to where Valon was lying. "Oh come on. His accent certainly isn't from the woods. I doubt there's anyone here who cares whether or not we kick him around. Unless you're telling me that Aurosians travel this far north to vacation. He's a thief, captain," he said, intense dislike on his face.

So saying, his foot pulled back to possibly kick Valon again—and then let out a frightened yell as an arrow flew past his nose with an angry buzz and barely missed his face by mere centimeters, landing with a _thunk_ in the tree behind him.

Alister's gaze was just as cold and furious as Raphael's and by the time the group had turned to the redhead he already had another arrow nocked, aimed at a spot between Keith's eyes. "Your captain gave an order not to harm _anyone _in this forest, and what you are about to do directly contradicts those orders," he said icily. "If you bring any further harm to the boy it will be the last thing you do."

"How dare you! You would shoot a fellow comrade?" snarled Gurimo.

Raphael delivered a withering gaze to the other man. "He would, as would I if one directly disobeyed an order," he said coolly. "You know the penalty for disobedience of a captain's orders, Gurimo. Death would be a small mercy."

The man bristled indignantly. "Even so, _Captain_, we cannot let the boy waltz free. He's still suspect of being a spy—!"

"Then I will deal with him myself," said Raphael, already brushing past them to where Valon was still on the ground. He bent down and carefully scooped the unconscious young man into his arms. "I'm taking him to the other camp. When the scout returns from the castle you will return to the kingdom. No arguments."

He carried Valon over to Alister, who was still mounted on his horse; the red-haired archer glanced at him briefly before un-nocking the arrow and replaced it back inside the quiver. He reached down and adjusted Valon carefully in front of him before turning the horse. "Do you need me to stay around?" Alister asked softly.

"Go. Take care of Valon. I can handle it—Jethro is with me," he replied just as quietly.

Alister nodded once and then started down the path. Gurimo spluttered indignantly, but a look from Raphael silenced him. Jethro readjusted his position from on top of his mount but did nothing, his eyes moving from one man to the other.

Gurimo growled angrily. "Raphael, you cannot just send us—"

"Oh I'm afraid I can," said the blond coldly. "I gave you a direct order not to harm the forest folk. You disobeyed that order, so you've lost any right to remain here."

"Raphael, how do you even know that he's not a spy? Simply living in the forest does not make you forest folk, or whatever else you keep spouting nonsense about." All respect for the burly man had vanished—not that it had been there to begin with—and Gurimo merely looked furious. "Your loyalty is misplaced in some brat!"

Raphael's eyes narrowed and his fists clenched at his sides. "Jethro, remain here and watch them. When Kern comes back from the castle, make sure these guards return to the kingdom," he said at last, turning on his heel and returning to his horse's side. He could not afford to lose his temper any further. Too much was at stake.

Jethro bowed from the waist gracefully. "Of course, Captain."

Raphael mounted his horse again after a brief pause, adjusting himself in the saddle and turning the large horse back toward the path. He would go to the other camp for now and let himself cool down, as well as tend to Valon and make sure no lasting damage had been—

"The prince will hear of this, Raphael," snapped Gurimo, his eyes glittering strangely when the man turned to look at him. "Don't think he won't. He especially won't be pleased when he learns that men he expressly sent are returned for doing their duty and trying to rescue the missing princess."

Raphael paused. "I will happily explain to him why I sent you back when I myself return," he replied curtly, turning forward onto the path. "Good day, gentlemen."

The moment he was out of sight of them, however, his anger dissipated and shifted into worry. He had lost his temper. This would not go over well once the prince received word of what had happened—his actions would likely have repercussions, he knew. There was nothing he could do now, though, and so his thoughts returned to Valon.

With any luck at all Valon was not hurt too badly. Although he'd been unconscious it appeared that he had been only minimally hurt and he had even managed to hurt the men who'd tied him up. He had to be all right.

Raphael hoped.

* * *

><p>While all of this had been going on Yugi and the others had been working away at a discerning potion, which would help Yugi learn how to find out Jou's name without breaking any boundary of the curse laid on top of him.<p>

Unfortunately, things had taken an abrupt turn for the worse with the potion—exploding cauldrons were not really on anyone's agenda, but the cauldron had abruptly boiled over and they'd only had seconds to leap out of the way before the fire turned bright red and the cauldron began to quake.

Jou yelled in horror as he vanished in a small explosion. "YUGI!"

Mai coughed and sprinted for the window, throwing it open as the purple smoke nearly smothered her. "What on earth happened?"

Ryou choked and waved a hand over the potion to try and dissipate the thick cloud of smoke. "Yugi's always been rubbish at making potions," he said, grimacing. "I shouldn't have been looking up spells and I should have mixed the potions."

Yugi muttered a hurried spell under his breath and a small tornado gathered outside the window, drawing the thick smoke outside; he waved his hand and the tornado dissipated, taking the cloud with it. "I'm sorry," he said, still choking. "I forgot that marigold leaves don't mix with salamander scales. Yami normally helps me with the potions, but because he's still resting he couldn't help this time."

"I could have told you as much about those ingredients," said Ryou exasperatedly. "I'll make potions from now on. We're lucky that none of us were hit by the potion."

"I was!" Jou cried with visible misery, staring in disbelief at the tawny gold fur that was sprouting along his chest, face, and upper arms. He now resembled something close to a griffin, though none of the fur sprouted through the black scales on his body; in addition to the fur Jou's ears had vanished to be replaced by a pair of floppy dog ears, perched just above the black horns on either side of his head.

Mai stared at Jou and then started giggling helplessly. "Oh Jou, Jou, Jou…you look ridiculous!" she laughed, doubling over.

"Sh-shaddap! Yugi, fix this!" wailed Jou, staring in the mirror with horror at his features. "I can't be cursed _and_ look like this too! That's just too cruel!"

Yami chuckled from where he was inside the puzzle. _No worries, cursed child. Yugi will set you right, as the potion's effects are only temporary._

"Yami, how come you didn't warn me about the potion?" asked Yugi indignantly. "You knew those ingredients didn't mix."

_Even a novice must learn the difference between the potions. You must learn how to do such things on your own, without prompting from myself or your grandfather._

"Wrong time to teach Yugi a lesson, Yami," growled Jou, looking at the fur unhappily. "Undo this—please."

Mai looked at the charred remains of the potion and sighed. "Looks like it's back to the drawing board," she remarked, not addressing anyone with this statement.

A snort of laughter came from the stairway and she looked over at Bakura and Marik, who had come upstairs to figure out where everyone had gone. The Enterran said nothing and stalked into a corner, his face clouded and eyes distant. "My, dragon, but don't you look like a mongrel?" Bakura commented wryly as he noticed Jou.

Jou snarled, baring his fangs. "Shut up, thief!"

Bakura raised his eyebrows. "Make me."

He glanced at where the potion was still smoking in the cauldron and rolled his eyes as he crossed the room, collapsing onto a fluffy love seat. "Another fine example of Yugi's potion work. Spectacular results, actually."

Yugi did not even turn around. "Bakura, return that vase you just stole. Don't think I didn't see you take it."

Bakura sighed, but set the golden vase he'd nicked back on its proper pedestal. "I don't know how you do that."

"Innate instinct," said Yugi flatly. He waved his staff over the now cracked cauldron and it glowed for a brief moment before becoming whole once again, the contents clearing. "Now Jou, come on over so I can fix you. Bakura, can we please look at that book the princess had? It'll help us once we have the discerning potion made."

Bakura's eyebrows arched. "Let me have that vase, then."

"Not on your life."

"Then I'll have to keep the book."

Yugi paused, turned to stare at Bakura with deliberate calm, and then waved his staff. "_Cuniculi auris."_

Bakura toppled off his seat as a pale jet of light hit him and growled in fury as his hands closed over the top of his head. "Yugi you insufferable wizard brat!" he roared, promptly cursing in Enterran. Even Marik could not help but smile.

Mai caught a glimpse of a pair of white rabbit ears and exchanged looks with Jou before bursting into laughter. Ryou was struggling not to laugh, especially when an indignant crimson glare affixed itself to Ryou; from within the puzzle came deep-throated laughter.

"Undo it, Yugi!" Bakura snarled.

"The spell book for your dignity, then," said Yugi calmly, holding his hand out toward Bakura. The white haired man swore even further but reached into the bag at his side, throwing the ancient looking book to the shorter man.

Yugi smiled brightly. "Thank you, Bakura," he said, waving his staff again. The rabbit ears promptly vanished from view and the man scowled, folding his arms over his chest and muttering under his breath about "fool brats" and "stupid spirits."

"Now we'll get somewhere," continued the shorter man happily, opening the book and beginning to peruse the pages intently.

Mai smiled. They were now one step closer to freeing Jou—and one step closer in freeing herself from the memory charm that had been put on her. Things were starting to come together.


	17. Searching for Answers

_VASTLY OVERDUE CHAPTER, YES I KNOW. FORGIVE ME._

_All right, so firstly I apologize for how long this took to get out. My plot bunnies all started arguing over what they wanted to happen and they couldn't make up their mind as to what they wanted. Even now I'm not sure and I may come back and edit it later, but for now I finally have an update!_

_Word of warning: something bad happens to Jou in this chapter and it's a bit...well, graphic (sorry, Jou sweetie)._

* * *

><p>It had taken Alister about ten minutes to get back to the other camp. The trip was not supposed to be this long, but considering that he was carrying Valon's motionless body with him—and also taking into account the injuries the Aurosian had sustained—he had to travel slowly. When he came back into the clearing the group of men looked to him with surprise.<p>

"What's happened at the other camp?" asked Adias, but before Alister could reply he saw Valon and grimaced. "Oh."

"Take him for a moment so that I can get down," said Alister shortly, and Adias rose to his feet to pull Valon into his arms none too gently. The ginger haired man did not like Valon too much; like some of the other forest folk, he was one who didn't trust anyone who had not been born in the woods.

Alister got down and then, after taking Valon back, moved to the shade of a nearby tree. As he set his unconscious companion down in the grass Valon stirred briefly but did not revive; there was an unintelligible mutter under his breath before he stilled. A faint smile lit Alister's features—if Valon was talking that was always a good omen.

"Who is that?" Corda asked, stepping forward cautiously. The other guards, save for Adias, gathered around as well.

Alister grunted. "A friend," he replied, his eyes moving over Valon's body and taking in the injuries he could see. He carefully moved the boy's bangs to investigate the cut; the dried blood from a gash made his hair stiff and sticky with blood.

"What, isn't that your ward?" asked one man in surprise, the statement identifying the speaker as a man of the forest (Alister was not looking up, instead devoting his attention to tending to Valon).

"No, Faust, he's not my ward. Nor is he Raphael's, despite popular opinion. You know that," Alister said distractedly, already guessing which direction the conversation was heading in. "If he was in any position to do so he'd probably punch you in the nose for suggesting it."

Satisfied with the condition of Valon's immediately visible injuries, Alister gingerly lifted up the Aurosian's shirt next. His eyes narrowed as they locked onto the purpling streaks that ran up Valon's sides and chest—those meant either bruised ribs or broken ribs. Not good.

There was the sound of horse hooves in the nearby forest and Alister looked to the path in time to see Raphael come into the clearing; he must have let the horse gallop down the path in order to catch up this quickly, Alister noted, but there was something wrong. Hadn't Raphael said he would be supervising Gurimo and his men at the other camp? Why was he here?

The older man easily dismounted the moment the opportunity presented itself and strode over to where the other men were gathered; the guards backed away to let him pass.

"Is he all right?" Raphael asked gruffly as he knelt down.

"Nothing one of Yugi's healing potions can't fix," replied Alister quietly. He wondered where Jethro was, then decided Raphael would likely tell him in a minute. "I think he has at least one broken rib, maybe two. He's fine otherwise."

The tension eased out of Raphael's shoulders and a relieved smile briefly lit his features. "Good," he said.

The smile faded and he leaned back, looking far more tired than Alister remembered ever seeing him. So much had happened in the past couple of months and the amount of pressure the older man was under had only been increasing; he had no idea how on earth the burly man could manage to keep as calm as he did while under so much pressure.

Raphael took a moment before rising to his feet, looking directly at where Adias was sitting. The visble amount of relief on his face vanished and was replaced by a stern expression. "Adias, a word," he said. "The rest of you need to start straightening up the camp. We've got guests coming."

Alister's eyebrows rose. _Guests?_

As the rest of the men set about to cleaning the camp (and some of them exchanging confused expressions—like Alister, they were confused as to who was coming into camp) Adias rose to his feet and started conversing with Raphael in a low voice. Alister decided that he'd find out eventually what was going on and continued tending to Valon.

At length Adias went to where the horses were tethered and Raphael returned to the shade of the trees. He bent down and briefly looked at Alister, asking silently for permission; when Alister backed away he gently scooped Valon's body back into his arms and rose to his feet.

"Raphael?"

"I'll explain myself in a moment," said the blond brusquely.

Valon stirred again, this time shifting in Raphael's arms uncomfortably, and both of them paused to look at the boy. The Aurosian's eyes actually opened briefly before sliding closed again and he slumped wearily; Valon was starting to wake up, but right now he was still trapped between consciousness and unconsciousness.

A horse whickered nearby and Alister watched with visible surprise as Adias rode up alongside them. He held his arms out mutely and Raphael lifted Valon into Adias's arms; the other man dipped his head briefly and then wheeled the horse around. "I'll be back as fast as I can," said Adias curtly, and then the horse took off at a gallop.

Alister glanced at Raphael, hiding his confusion. "Where's Adias taking him?"

"To Yugi's shop. It may take a couple of hours on foot to get there but on horseback it should only take a part of an hour," replied the other man flatly, starting to roll up a nearby blanket. Sensing Alister's skeptical gaze, he added, "I know _someone_ is at his little shop. I've been getting replies to the letters I sent there, so at least there Valon can get himself taken care of."

Alister's eyes narrowed. Raphael was not facing him and there was still the matter of Raphael returning so suddenly. "What's happened? You basically sent Valon away and I'm really sure there's a good reason for doing it. What about Gurimo? Is he on his way back to the castle?"

Raphael's whole face darkened and he turned to face Alister. "Why do you think I had Adias take him to Yugi?" he asked with a humorless smile. "Gurimo's coming here and he's not alone."

"…You didn't seriously change your mind about sending him home, did you?"

Raphael let out an uncharacteristically derisive snort. "If I had my way he'd be on his way back even as we speak. No, my decision was revoked."

Alister frowned at the bitter edge to Raphael's voice and was about to ask what that meant when he heard the sound of multiple horses coming through the trees; Jethro and a new man (the scout Raphael had sent back to the castle yesterday) came first, followed by Gurimo and the men at the other camp.

That was not all, however.

The next rider to come through the trees was a black-haired woman wearing a long-sleeved yellow gown with pink trim, her brown eyes sweeping around the clearing and taking everything in. Next to her, mounted on a white charger that was decked out in full battle décor was…

…Oh.

"Look who finally decided to get actively involved," he muttered, scowling.

It was the prince.

* * *

><p>"…well. That's interesting indeed," said Yugi with a frown, turning the page and starting to read once again. "These spells are incredibly advanced. You would need to be a powerful wizard to conjure half of these spells."<p>

Jou's tail twitched in irritation. "It took you this long to notice that?"

Yugi was not fazed at all by the comment, instead laughing. "I did figure that out earlier, but even so this book just confirmed it," he said. His smile faded and he frowned as his eyes landed on the page. "Oh dear."

Yugi had been going over the book for the past half hour, during which Marik and Bakura had left; there were still preparations for that evening's negotiations with Kaiba that they apparently needed to finish. Mai had been left to her own devices in the meantime, while Ryou continued brewing his potions in the back of the space. She had been wandering around the workshop and examining items that caught her interest, though after picking up one vase that nearly exploded she was much more cautious about it.

She turned at the odd tone Yugi's voice had taken and asked, "What's wrong?"

Yami materialized from within the puzzle in a burst of shadows (startling Jou and Mai) and leaned over to read the text. It seemed he had regained some of his strength, Mai noted with some surprise. "Ah, I thought so. You were not the only one fooled, Yugi—I suspected as such earlier, once I'd had time to study the cursed child," he commented quietly.

"What are you talking about?" asked Jou suspiciously.

"A spell we thought you were under turns out to be a misdirection—a wolf in sheep's clothing," said Yami grimly, his red-tinted eyes shifting to Jou. "The spells look similar to Yugi and I because of the subtle hue of color that it holds, but they are inherently different spells. A cleverly played trap."

"Well, what _is _this magic spell?" Mai asked. "Jou and I can't see the colors, so we've got no idea what you're talking about."

"You've heard us mention _lycanthra reversum, _have you not?" asked Yami evenly. "_Lycanthra reversum_ is as it sounds. Jou regains his humanity when the moon wanes because the moon is a source of magic, as it has been since the dawn of time. However, to cause this reversion of humanity after being transformed you need a spell to harness the moon's power. Yugi had thought it to be _lycanthra reversum_, but had this been the case contact with his barrier should have broken it. It is a spell that, against the power of Yugi's barrier, would have crumbled when a stronger power was exerted over it even if the conditional spell had not been met. As you can see, the spell has only been weakened."

Jou frowned. "So…you're saying it's a different spell that keeps me as a dragon?"

Yugi nodded. "I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier," he said, shoulders slumping.

"Do not take it so hard, Yugi," said Yami, though the look on his face clearly indicated that Yugi should have thought of this faster. "_Verto draconis_ is a rare spell to encounter in these parts. I have seen this spell, but only on a handful of occasions."

"_Verto draconis_?" Mai asked slowly. She had figured out that most magic utilized Latin, but it had been years since she had last studied it and the only part of it she recognized was that it had something to do with dragons.

"The spell that binds Jou's humanity and traps it within the body of a dragon," Yami explained. "It is a spell of immense power and requires advanced knowledge of magic. Undoing it will not be an easy task, and if the one who cast it is who I think it is then our task will be exceptionally difficult. I would not be surprised if this is directly linked to the conditional spell."

Ryou glanced at them from where he was in the corner of the room. "Just when I thought it was getting easier, too," he remarked. "The discerning potion is almost finished, by the way."

Mai groaned and exchanged glances with Jou. She had thought that getting the book would lead to an instant breakthrough that would set Jou free, but so far that had not happened—in fact, it was beginning to look as if Yugi would not be able to break the spell. They were basically right back to where they started. "Here's a thought. Why don't you figure out who cast this?" she asked.

Yugi and Yami both looked at her. "Do not underestimate us. Why do you think we are making a potion? This particular one reveals all hidden aspects of the spell, including the mark of the caster," said Yami, folding his arms. "However, discerning the identity of the one who has cursed your friend has a price. It means activating a component of the spell that would force the mark to the surface."

Mai frowned. "A mark? Like a coat of arms?"

"Correct. Any spell used has a brand to it that identifies the wizard who cast it," said Yugi helpfully. He waved a hand at his side and a thin trail of sand hovered in the air in front of him, forming the shape of the eye that glowed on Yami's head. "This is my mark. Any spell I cast is automatically branded with this mark, though it's only on lasting spells—such as the one I used on Bakura earlier."

Yami glanced at her sideways. "In order to determine the identity of the one who cast this curse we would need to activate one of his spells that the cursed child is trapped beneath. Can you bear pain?" he asked suddenly, red eyes on Jou.

Jou blinked. "Er, I guess…wait, why are you asking?"

Yami did not reply, only studying Jou with a nameless expression and what looked like triumph in his eyes; Mai could not put a finger on why she suddenly had goosebumps rising on her arms, but it was not a pleasant feeling and she felt something in her stomach twist. Yami clearly knew something no one else did—the only question was what.

Ryou straightened up and ladled a portion of the blue-colored potion into a phial. "Here, Jou," he said, coming over with the potion. "Drink this. Trust me, it's not poison," he added, noticing Jou's suspicious glare. "It'll allow the mark to become more visible once Yugi starts."

Jou eyed the potion before taking it gingerly in his talons; the phial looked tiny in his large claws. "Bottoms up," he announced, waving it in a mock toast before gulping it down. He shuddered and stuck his tongue out when he finished, grimacing as he shook his head. "Well, that was thoroughly disgusting. Now what?"

Yugi glanced at the book in front of him, scribbling something down onto the parchment. "Well, now we use it to figure out where the mark will be when it manifests. The potion should be kicking in any time now and once it does we—"

Without warning familiar green lightning began crackling along Jou's body and he soundlessly collapsed. His jaws tightened and his bottom lip started bleeding as one of his fangs pierced through it; the tension and pain he was in had caused him to bite down. His tail started thrashing and knocked over one of the nearby tables, the items on it falling to the floor and some of them breaking.

Mai felt something cold settle in her stomach and she turned to Yugi with panic. "What's happening?"

Yugi paled and he burst into action, heading straight for the cupboard on the other end of the room. "A counterspell. The original caster must have known we'd use a discerning potion," he said sharply as he began rummaging through the shelves haphazardly. "We've got to negate the potion, and quickly. A bezoar, a bezoar—oh come on, I just had them out yesterday!"

Ryou shook his head. "That only works on poison, Yugi! Besides, it's too late for that!"

Jou started seizing, his arms and legs flailing helplessly as the green lightning continued to punish him. His taloned hands dug first into the wooden floor at his sides before he curled on himself, his claws piercing his sides once again as a pained scream finally wrenched its way out of his throat. Blood began pooling underneath his body.

There was a clatter on the stairs and Marik burst into the room. "What in the name of—?" he began, only to stop speaking as he saw Jou. His gaze shifted into a horrified one. "What happened?"

Mai did not pause to think, instead stumbling to Jou's side. She'd fully gotten over the initial shock that had frozen her in place and her only concern was for the thrashing creature on the floor. "JOU!"

"Mai…" Jou's voice was barely there, more of an animalistic snarl than anything else. His tail twitched in her direction, trying to shove her away and to protect her from the electricity that was bathing his body (and likely from himself), but it missed her and instead slammed violently into the floor. "Move…!"

"No!" she said stubbornly, and then she grabbed one of his arms, trying to tug his talons out of his sides before the wounds worsened.

The pain that shot up her arms made her recoil with a startled gasp of pain and she stared at her burned palms with disbelief, whimpering when they began throbbing. Nonetheless she reached back and managed to grab one of Jou's hands, pulling it away from his side and practically hugging his arm to stop him from digging his claws into his body any further.

Jou's head turned to her out of panic as he realized what she was doing and tried to get her to let go, but as he did Mai saw something green glowing on his forehead. What was that…?

Yugi was suddenly kneeling at her side, murmuring something low and fast under his breath; his voice had darkened and when she glanced at him it was to see that Yugi's eyes had turned red. The Millennium Puzzle glowed around his neck and Jou's body lit with a similar glow; as the golden light grew stronger the mark that had appeared on Jou's forehead diminished, until at last it was gone.

Yugi sank backward in relief, his eyes going to Mai. She was startled to note that shadows were pooling underneath him; his clothes had turned entirely black and parts of his golden bangs were now standing upright. It took her a moment before she realized she was looking at Yami. Wasn't he only a ghost? He was completely solid now, how had he…?

Never mind. She'd figure it out later, when she was convinced Jou would not die.

Jou's breath was coming in shallow, labored pants—much like a wounded animal—and his skin twitched unpleasantly every few seconds. His lip and sides were coated with blood and sweat and his ruby eyes were glazed over. Mai bit her lip hard and shook him gently. "Jou?"

There was no reply.

"Jou? Jou, say something." She shook him again. "Jou!"

Jou shifted and his head moved weakly in her direction. "M-Mother always said not t' eat anything strange," he managed in a hoarse whisper at last, grinning weakly at her. "N-now I know why. Shoulda…listened…"

With that parting answer Jou fully slumped onto the floor, unconscious. Mai felt the color leave her face and for one terrifying moment she thought Jou was dead; Marik came to Jou's limp body and put two fingers to the base of his neck, waiting for a few seconds before relaxing. "It's all right. He's got a pulse," he said gently.

Ryou had a phial of healing potion in his hands and he hurried to their side, liberally pouring the golden potion along Jou's torn and bloodied sides; the skin started closing as the potion absorbed into his wounds and his bleeding slowed to a sluggish trickle.

Mai had not realized she was still holding Jou's arm until Ryou's hands gently untangled hers from the black scales and he poured a measured amount onto her burned hands and arms. Mai watched numbly as the potion began healing her skin.

Jou was okay. Jou was not dying, he was all right. She had to keep telling herself that, because during the time that the spell had been activated she had feared that such an outcome was all too likely.

At length she glanced to the shorter wizard, who had gotten to his feet and was looking over the parchment Yugi had been working on. He still had shadows pooled around him and his eyes were still red; the glowing eye that normally was on Yami's forehead was plainly visible. She swallowed and decided to make a wild guess. "Yami?"

His eyes swiveled to her and she flinched at the feral expression on his face; the Millennium Puzzle flashed around his neck and cast his face into alternating shadows. He smirked darkly at her. "I would think it obvious, maiden," he said. He took a step forward to where Jou was lying and Mai instinctively leaned over Jou to shield him.

There was a blur of movement and then Marik was between Yami and Mai. "All right, Yami, whatever you did to help is done. Retreat and let Yugi take back his body," he said grimly.

Yami's eyes flickered and then narrowed. "You would tell me what to do, child of the Ishtars?" he asked coldly, and shadows began fanning out around him. "I hardly believe that you have the right. Do not forget your place."

Marik bristled but held his ground. "Even so, Yami, I don't know what it is you're going to do and you're frightening the princess," he replied tightly.

Yami chuckled, but it was not a pleasant sound. "You who do not even favor royalty show concern for her? My, Marik, but how you change."

"Shut up, Yami," Marik growled. "I care nothing for her, but if you inadvertently make her into a Shadow then—"

"—then Bakura would not approve. Of course," replied Yami, his voice now taunting. "You owe him a good deal for the events that transpired in your past, do you not? In a way you have never escaped that from which you fled."

Marik's face blanched.

"Yami!" Ryou's voice was suddenly sharper. "We appreciate your help, but now give Yugi his body. This is going nowhere."

"Ah, but I am not yet finished with the cursed child. There is but one matter I must attend to," Yami said, almost gliding past Marik to go to Mai.

Mai shielded Jou further. "Yami, what are you trying to do?" she asked defensively. "I could care less if you're having some sort of mental meltdown, but if you're going to help Jou then do it already!"

Yami laughed again as he loomed over her. "How trusting, maiden. You truly believe I wish to help?" he said. "How do you know that I will not harm you or Jou instead?"

She wavered, biting her lip again as Jou stirred. The potion was doing its work, but it was slower acting than the healing water; she was more than willing to give Jou the water, but since Marik was in charge of the goatskins it was in she had no way of providing it.

She looked back to Yami and held his gaze. "Yugi trusts you, doesn't he?" she asked, looking up at him. "I've no reason to distrust him, since thus far he's done nothing to harm me. So—so if you're going to help then do it."

Something in Yami's eyes shifted. He studied Mai for a long moment and then looked to Jou, silently asking for her permission. Deciding that he was not her enemy (at the moment) she nodded and leaned back, exposing Jou. Yami knelt beside Jou's limp body, his hand moving to Jou's face. He gently brushed back some of Jou's bangs back and his eyes narrowed grimly. "I had feared as such," he said at last.

Mai did not need to ask what it was Yami was looking at—she could see the cruel cuts into Jou's forehead that were still bleeding and a hand went to her mouth to cover the gasp of horror.

Ryou and Marik cautiously crowded around as well, both of their eyes locked onto the cuts on Jou's forehead. "Whose mark is that?" asked Ryou with concern, reaching for a cloth to dab at the cuts with.

Beneath the blood on his forehead were two circles, a hexagram filling the inner circle and the runes Mai had seen in the spell book in the gaps between the two circles, completing the construction of the mark.

"I know it," said a weary voice, and everyone jumped when they realized that Yugi had regained control. His eyes were starting to shift colors, caught halfway between purple and red, and the shadows had receded into the Millennium Puzzle. "I was afraid of that. I'd hoped we were not dealing with him, but we are."

"Dealing with who?" asked Mai warily. "Who is he?"

Yugi looked to all of them. "Do you all remember the rumors that have been flying around? The ones that claim that there's a dark magic that can corrupt a wizard's magical core without even being used and the magic that's turning people into Shadows?"

Mai and Ryou exchanged glances, remembering their fireside discussion a few nights previous. "I know it," said Mai slowly. "Why?"

"The one who may be directly responsible for this is the man who's cursed Jou, and he answers to the name of Dartz."

Something in the back of Mai's mind stirred and the faded image of a man with long, teal colored hair came to mind. "I recognize that name," she said slowly. "I think I've seen him before, when I was a child…he came to my kingdom once, offering my father a trade. An apprenticeship for magic users in exchange for the marketing of something he had, but my father said no. I want to say it's a gemstone that he had, but…"

Several pairs of eyes shifted to her with surprise. Yugi recovered first and nodded. "That sounds like Dartz. He's a reclusive wizard by nature, keeping to the far north and near the orichalcum mines—he's responsible for their upkeep. The only time he leaves is when he's on the hunt for apprentices or for his own agenda."

"Orichalcum?" Marik asked with a frown. Behind him Ryou put a small glob of the potion on Jou's forehead to heal the cruel marks and Mai relaxed as the image started to fade away—she did not know what it was, but something about that mark made her feel uneasy.

Yugi rose to his feet and moved to a nearby cupboard, rummaging in it briefly before bringing out a small but elaborately carved box, runes decorating the lock. He opened the lid and held the box out to them, allowing them to see the glowing green contents. "This is orichalcum," he said tightly. "Look but don't touch."

Mai stared at the small stone that was nestled on a cushion. A silver pendant frame contained what appeared to be a pale emerald, glowing faintly with an ethereal light. It was pretty, she thought, and one of her fingers extended toward it subconsciously; at the last second she drew back, hesitant.

She'd seen it before when she was a child and, like now, had thought it pretty and only a mere trinket. Now that she was older and looking at it for the first time in years she could feel that there was something ominous about the gem she was looking at. Even as she looked at it soft, sinister whispers began echoing in her ears; her vision started fogging and she felt oddly light-headed.

She was not the only one who was having mixed feelings about what she was looking at. Ryou now had a confused frown on his face and Marik had stepped away entirely, his lavender eyes haunted; from the Millennium Puzzle she could practically see Yami's eyes glowing and Yugi looked drawn and ill. Even Jou, still unconscious on the floor, seemed to have an opinion on it—his tail feebly moved in a gesture meant to bring it around his body and his lips drew back in a weak snarl.

"Orichalcum can be used to catalyze spells and to bind alchemic mixtures together by pulling in the negative aspects of the element you're using. It can be also used in meditation to bring enlightenment and to advance thinking," Yugi began grimly, shutting the box. Instantly Mai's vision cleared and a pounding headache began in her temples. "Personally, the only reason I have it is because Dartz gave it to my grandfather years ago. If I had my way this would not even be in the shop."

Ryou shuddered. "Why would you want to use such a thing?" he asked.

_Because the energy that orichalcum generates is sentient. It is supposed to draw all of your negative thoughts—the darkness inside you—and convert it into its own energy. That is where its power comes from. _Yami's tired voice was brimming with something close to admiration. _In a way it aids its users, for it clears the mind and focuses your magic. Any spell cast is amplified when combined with orichalcum, but it is not just magic that is strengthened by use. Physical prowess, educated thinking, heightened senses, lengthened age…much is promised by using orichalcum, and much is delivered._

"I don't like it," said Marik, though he looked oddly torn between picking it up and putting himself as far away from it as possible. "I can't put my finger on what it is, but there's something evil about it."

Yugi nodded grimly, returning the box to the cupboard gingerly. "Why do you think I've left it in the box? The last thing I need to deal with is a sentient energy that's supposed to absorb all the negativity in a person's body."

Mai instantly understood why Yugi was uncomfortable with the orichalcum—she did not miss the worried glance he'd cast toward the puzzle hanging around his neck."So Dartz is the one who's cursed Jou," she said slowly. "What reason would he have to curse him to begin with?"

"That's a really good question," said Yugi with a frown, looking to the spell book lying innocently on the table. "Dartz almost never leaves the orichalcum mines in the mountains, unless he's searching for apprentices with significant prowess in magic. He'd have no reason to curse Jou unless Jou tried to steal orichalcum or if he got in Dartz's way."

"Significant prowess?"

Ryou was the one who replied next. "Orichalcum generates a sentient energy, which requires only those who have the potential to become strong wizards to use it. Dartz once tried recruiting me, but Bakura put his foot down on the matter and refused to let me leave—besides, I've only got strength in my potions."

_Though I agree with Bakura on very little, the decision to keep Ryou away from Dartz is a wise one. They who are apprenticed to Dartz are never heard from again, and we have yet to see any who he has taken under his wing return,_ said Yami darkly.

"What about bribing him? Dartz needs money to run his mines, doesn't he?" Mai asked, frowning when Yugi shook his head. "All right, what now? Why wouldn't you be able to bribe him?"

"Dartz can't be bought with gold or jewels, Princess. If he does something he does it in his own interest and at his own price. The only question now is what that price was, because unless Jou did something to provoke him Dartz did this because someone gave him what he was looking for," said the shorter man with a sigh.

Jou groaned, stirring weakly, and Mai whirled around in surprise. She rested one of her hands on top of his, squeezing it briefly. "Jou?"

One ruby-colored eye slid open wearily and Jou grinned lopsidedly at her. "Hey. You're a sight for sore eyes. I've got a couple of injuries that I could use some kisses on—y'know, kiss and make better?"

Mai flushed and attributed this comment to be from the fact he was still reeling from the pain of the curse he'd been put through. "W-Watch your mouth," she said, looking away.

"D'aww, you're blushing," he replied, and she caught his grin out of the corner of her eye.

He sat up and tried to stand but let out a whine of pain—the healing potion had not yet entirely mended his torn sides—and he ended up slumped against Mai tiredly. "So, who wants to tell me what just happened? I thought that potion wasn't supposed to hurt me," he said, looking at Yugi with a mildly betrayed look.

The grim expression on the short man's face instantly faded away and a horrified expression lit Yugi's features. "Oh Jou, I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed, bending down so that he was eye level with Jou. "I had no idea that would happen. If I had I wouldn't have endangered you the way I did, it was totally reckless—!"

Much to Mai's surprise Jou's grin grew and he reached out to tousle Yugi's hair. "Hey, man, it's fine. I kinda figured something like this would happen—I mean, that's why Yami asked if I could bear pain, isn't it?"

Mai felt something clench in her stomach and she directed a suddenly furious glare at the puzzle. "Yami, you _knew_ what would happen to Jou and _you didn't warn us?_" she snarled. "What if he'd died?"

Yami materialized in a burst of shadows and fixed her with an even look. Though he looked exhausted there was no sign of either remorse or fear. "I believe that you are on a quest for answers, are you not? Had I told Yugi what the outcome of taking the potion was he would have never allowed Jou to take it—we would be without valuable knowledge."

"Yes I want answers, but if I have to kill Jou for them I'd rather remain in the dark!" she retorted hotly. "It's not worth sacrificing his life over!"

Yami studied her again, looking perfectly at ease. "You know, Highness, you show an odd amount of compassion for the one who took you from safety. I am willing to wager you do not even know the reason why you care for this child so deeply, despite only having known him for such a small time."

Mai opened her mouth to reply angrily when she froze, Yami's words striking a chord somewhere within her.

Mai had not known Jou for that long when Bakura had attacked him in the cave and yet she'd tried to get Bakura to stop; even before the thief had arrived, though, she had been worried about the injuries he had sustained from his attack on the castle. She'd nearly thrown herself into a river to rescue him when the White Dragon had pinned him underneath the water and he'd almost drowned. She'd even been willing to defend him when Yami had advanced on him. That was not normal, considering her current position.

It was not just Mai who was acting like this. From the very moment he had taken her Jou had fought on her behalf time and time again, even risking his life to protect her. He did not have to go to such lengths to make sure she remained unharmed, even if she was the one helping him with the curse; he had his own troubles to consider and he barely even knew her, but the moment he perceived that there was a threat his first reaction was to protect her.

_It's like…I should know the answer to this…like it's some long forgotten dream…but…why?_

Mai was so caught up in her thoughts that she failed to notice the atmosphere of the room change, but what jolted her out of her thoughts was Bakura suddenly entering the room. "Yugi, hustle yourself downstairs and ready yourself. We're about to have company. Ryou, Marik, remain here—and Yugi, we are not here should anyone ask."

Yugi stared in bewilderment. "Bakura, where have you been?" he asked before he registered the other part of the question. "Who's coming? Don't tell me you went to the village and stole from the magistrate again, because if you've brought trouble here you'll have permanent rabbit ears to—"

"Yugi, for pity's sake get going!" snapped Bakura impatiently. "There's a guard from the castle coming here and it'll look suspicious if you don't go now!"

It took Mai a moment before she realized the full impact of what Bakura was saying and she sat up straighter. A palace guard was on his way here…she had almost forgotten about the ransom in all the excitement. But wait, weren't the guards supposed to come tomorrow? Why was there one coming now?

Yami's eyes narrowed. "How do you think young Yugi will explain his presence here to a castle guard if he was supposed to be banished along with his grandfather?" he asked coldly. "You would ask Yugi to risk his safety on your behalf? Not as long as I stand here, thief."

Risk his safety? How could he be in danger if he was…and then Mai remembered Jean Claude telling her how he had handled the crisis at the castle. He'd banished all the magic users—Yugi was not supposed to be here at the moment, she realized.

Yugi huffed and waved his staff, murmuring something under his breath as he reached for a cloak; as he drew the hood over his head a gray beard burst from Yugi's chin and wrinkles lined his cheeks. His eyes turned into a muddy brown and his skin tanned.

"I'll be back in a moment. Remain here," he croaked, and he hobbled past a surprised looking Mai to the stairs, slowly advancing down them with a hunched back.

Ryou smiled in amusement. "I forgot he could do that trick," he said softly. "Yugi's gotten better at disguising charms."

Jou sat up straighter and winced, gingerly testing his arms by lifting them over his head; the newly healed skin on his sides stretched and he growled under his breath. "Not entirely back to normal, but it'll work," he muttered, stretching his claws.

He looked back to Mai and began to smile, but his eyes instead went to her arms (where the healing potion was still visible on her skin) and concern flitted across his features. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked, looking visibly distressed as he reached for one of her arms. He took it carefully and examined the previously burned flesh anxiously. "Aw geez, I did."

Mai pulled her arm away. "You were hurt worse than I was, Jou. Don't worry over it."

Jou shook his head, still looking upset. "I remember you grabbing onto me…Mai, I could have killed you," he said in a low voice, his tail twitching. "You shouldn't have tried to—"

"Don't finish that sentence," replied Mai sharply. "Compared to everything you've done for me what I did was only a small part to return the favor! Besides, I couldn't sit there and watch you die!"

Bakura rolled his eyes and, after glancing out the window, he hissed, "Shut up, the both of you. Here comes the guard."

Ryou moved to the other side of the window and peered out cautiously from the other side of the frame. Seconds later recognition flitted across his face and he said, "Isn't that Adias?"

Marik leaned over Ryou's shoulder and nodded slowly. "It is…but what's he doing here?"

"Maybe he was released from duty?"

Bakura snorted. "Not likely. He still bears the arms of the castle and his armor—things that the prince would never let leave the castle grounds. No, no, he's still serving with the castle."

Marik's frown deepened. "Who's that he's carrying in his arms?" he asked. "I can't tell."

Mai halfway rose to her feet to see what was going on, but before she could several tendrils of shadow rose around her and pointed barbed tips at her, forcing her to sit back down; Bakura had seen her move and the familiar glow from around his neck was plainly visible. "If you have even the slightest amount of common sense you will remain silent and stay right where you are."

Jou snarled, his fangs bared and his tail curling around Mai protectively. "Don't threaten her, thief."

Ryou let out a startled gasp before Bakura could reply and exchanged alarmed glances with Marik. "In Adias's arms that was—was that who I think it was?"

Marik nodded unhappily. "I'm pretty sure it is."

The sound of voices began coming up the stairs, one an elderly man's voice and the other unfamiliar; Mai could not make out what they were saying, but it sounded as if Yugi's disguised voice now held a bit of worry to it.

Jou's cat-like pupils contracted and he let out a low growl of dismay. "Oh man," he said softly, looking suddenly guilty.

"What?" she asked. Mindful of Bakura's annoyed glare, she kept her voice to the softest of whispers. "Jou, what's wrong?"

"I smell blood," he muttered, still looking guilty. "I _knew _I should have tried to stop him from going by himself."

Mai digested this reply for a moment, her eyes going to the men sitting around her and looking rather tense (save for Bakura). "Valon," she realized at last. "Valon's been hurt, hasn't he?"

From outside there was the sound of a horse whinnying and the sound of galloping hooves; Bakura relaxed minutes later and the shadows receded back into the floor. "He's gone," announced Bakura flatly.

The moment he did this, however, Mai had gotten to her feet and was hurrying down the stairs. "Yugi?" she called, looking anxiously around the shop for any sign of the shorter wizard.

"Back here, Highness!" came the reply from one of the rooms. Seconds later Yugi's head peered around the doorframe, the disguise completely gone.

Mai rushed down the hall and past the now startled Yugi, peering into the room. "Is it Valon?" she asked. She hated to think that Valon had gotten himself hurt, especially considering everything he had done for her thus far.

Valon was shirtless and sitting up on the bed, golden healing potion smeared across his ribs; beneath the substance, though, she could see the large, ugly bruises that ran up his chest. Bandages were wrapped around his head and under his fluffy bangs.

He was awake, though, and Mai's sudden presence had startled him. It did not take him long to recover, however, and he gave a lopsided grin (one that was eerily similar to Jou's earlier one). "Well 'ello, Mai," he said cheerfully. "'ave you come t' nurse me back t' 'ealth?"

Mai snorted, hiding her relief behind an annoyed scowl. "As if, hun," she retorted. "What do I look like, your nurse?"

"Well, you look like an angel. Does tha' count?"

She heard heavy footsteps and the sound of talons clicking along the wooden floor behind her, telling her that Jou had come down as well. Seconds later she felt warm breath on the top of her head and Jou said, "That's good. You aren't dead, at any rate."

Valon's grin grew. "Wha', you thinkin' of eatin' me if I was?"

Mai did not have to turn around to see Jou's nose wrinkle in disgust. "Don't flatter yourself, pal. Besides, I don't eat people. I'm human myself, remember?"

Yugi dabbed at one of the cuts on Valon's arms with a piece of cloth and Valon flinched. "OW! Yugi, go easy on a fella, huh?"

"Sorry." Yugi did not sound entirely apologetic.

"You seem right annoyed, Yugi. Somethin' wrong?"

"Oh no, nothing's wrong. I like nothing better than tending to someone who provoked a fight with palace guards and nearly got himself arrested, if not killed," replied Yugi sarcastically. "I also appreciate having a palace guard come out to my home and nearly get myself arrested, even if it was Adias."

"I didn' start any such fight, despite wha' Adias said. 'e's exaggeratin' things quite a bit 'n' 'e's a right git t' begin with—'e chased me away from a blackberry patch once with a bloody rake 'n' nearly cut me in two with it!"

"But that was Adias's blackberry patch."

"I never saw anythin' tha' said it belonged to 'im!"

"How could you _not_ see the large wooden sign in the _front_ that said, 'property of Adias' and the fence that surrounded the blackberry patch?"

"Selective vision, mate."

Yugi opened his mouth to argue but then gave up, hanging his head and looking suddenly exhausted. "I don't know how Raphael puts up with you."

"'e's one o' the most patient fellas I've ever met, chum," Valon replied brightly. "'m pretty sure tha' it took practice, if tha' 'elps you any."

"Raphael?" Mai asked, startled. She noticed that Jou suddenly looked much more interested in this conversation, though she could not imagine why. "You mean to tell me Captain Gruesome is another of your friends?"

"Oi, now, don' you call Raph tha'," said Valon, suddenly defensive. "'e's a nice bloke, Mai."

"That's who you were talking about when you asked me about 'Raph', wasn't it?" Mai continued, remembering what Valon had said just yesterday. She processed the rest of Valon's statement and then scowled. "And I wouldn't call him Captain Gruesome if he actually liked me."

"Naw. Raph doesn' dislike anybody—if anythin', 'e prob'ly jus' disapproves o' you," said Valon cheerfully. "I reckon i's 'cause you don' act like a princess."

"…I'm sorry, but _what_ did you just say?"

The Aurosian took one look at Mai's suddenly stormy expression and opened his mouth to possibly apologize (or make things worse), but then both Marik and Bakura pushed past Mai and Jou to enter the room, drawing everyone's attention. Ryou trailed in next, looking relieved to see Valon awake and conscious.

"All right, Valon, I want answers," said Bakura shortly. "It's already late morning and we're running out of time, but you were escorted back by a palace guard that isn't supposed to be here yet. Explain."

Valon blinked. "Oh. Well, Jou 'n' I were out 'untin' rabbits last night when 'e says, 'I smell somethin' weird…'"


	18. A Change in Plans

_GAH I'M SO SORRY._

_This chapter took ridiculously long to write, as I had to juggle real life and had to deal with those issues...that and the chapter would not cooperate. Rest assured, though, that from here on out the chapters should come faster, as my class load is lightening and I don't have to deal with filler chapters for a while yet._

_Anyways, I have to thank everyone who has been following my little brain child so far and I can only hope you continue to read and review - and to make it up I have a longer than normal chapter. I'm not sure I caught all the typos, so if anyone sees anything don't hesitate to let me know!_

* * *

><p>Vivian looked around the forest with only the smallest amount of interest, turning back to where Jean Claude was sitting and clearing her throat to catch his attention. "I must thank you again for allowing me to come with you," she said graciously.<p>

Jean Claude's face brightened. "But of course, my dear woman. This directly concerns you, considering that it is your princess who was taken by these vagabonds," he replied. "To refuse your request would be most insensitive. Besides, once we recover your mistress she will be looking for some familiarity to reassure her in these primitive surroundings, and what better way to do that than to have one of her closest friends greet her?"

It had not taken much to convince Jean Claude to allow Vivian to come with him back to the forest; she strongly suspected that Jean Claude had conceded only to stop her from writing home, but in any event she was here now and she intended to make the best of it.

She found it surprising that Jean Claude had chosen not bring the gold needed to ransom Mai with, instead bringing along a cloaked man who was carrying a dark bag filled all sorts of vials and a book of some kind; she had caught a glimpse of these items when the bag had come open. When she'd asked about their new companion Jean Claude had deflected her question and instead told her that the gold was coming separately.

She did not entirely like the lack of an explanation (or this strange, cloaked man) and she did not favor the idea of having so much gold pass through a forest filled with thieves and vagabonds, but Jean Claude had assured her that the thieves would be no trouble. "I've heard rumors that they've had a rough time of it lately, my dear, and they don't have any sort of manpower to deal with us," he had said with a laugh.

Vivian wondered what he meant and how he knew the condition of Bakura's band of thieves, but ultimately she decided that it was to their advantage and instead focused on the men around her.

Jean Claude had brought along a tent to set up and had set Raphael and a few others to work on erecting it. It was to this tent that he strode to now, a look of purpose in his eyes. "Pardon me, my dear, but I have a few arrangements to settle for tomorrow's ransom and I will need solitude, so that I might think better," he said firmly, and inside the tent she caught sight of the mysterious man. "If it is not too much trouble, might you wait outside until I have finished meditating on the matter?"

She curtsied. "I do not mind at all, my lord," she replied gracefully. She understood that he had a lot to think over, if the ambush to capture the Thief King was to be successful—as well as bringing back Mai safely.

He beamed at her before slipping inside the darkened tent. Gurimo and Keith instantly flanked either side of the entrance and crossed their spears over it, preventing anyone from entering; it was a measure Vivian had mixed feelings on but she dismissed it, given their current surroundings.

Besides, the way that cloaked man had been looking at her the entire ride out here…she shuddered. Whatever purpose Jean Claude had in mind for this individual was certainly not one that would be a pleasant experience.

She made her way to a rock located under the shade of a willow tree close to the river, near the group of guards who were conversing amongst themselves. She reached up her sleeve and undid the buckles to the holster that held her knives to her forearms; once it was out in the open she began sorting through her knives and chose the ones with intricate designs etched into the blade and the grip.

She reached for the leather pouch she kept strapped just above her ankle. Removing a small and flat crystalline vial and a handkerchief, she uncorked the top and very carefully poured a few drops into the cloth, then began gently running the cloth over the blades. The vial was made out of diamond; it was a family heirloom that had been passed down for generations, designed to be kept in places that were constantly jostled.

It was not perfume she was rubbing onto the blades, after all. This was her family's trademark poison that always coated certain knives (generally her more ornate daggers, so that she could distinguish between the harmless ones and those coated with poison). If a glass bottle broke inside the pouch and the resulting glass fragments cut her skin it would mean death within seconds.

She finished this task and corked the bottle tightly, making certain that nothing would pour out of the bottle before neatly folding the handkerchief and replacing both the bottle and the cloth back inside the leather pouch; once done, she rolled her sleeve back and re-fastened the holster to her arm.

She became aware of a pair of eyes watching her and looked up to notice Alister studying her from his perch in the tree above her. "Is there something you find fascinating?" she asked testily, mainly to hide her surprise.

Alister shrugged carelessly, easily making his way down the tree and to a spot in front of her. "I was not aware you used poisoned knives. Good to know for the future," he said, looking perfectly at ease. "I'm also wondering why you're here, instead of the castle where it's safer."

"The princess is my direct concern. I would think that obvious," Vivian retorted irritably. "It would be the same as if your prince was in danger."

Alister snorted. "Oh believe me, I owe him no allegiance," he said coolly.

Vivian glare sharpened. "What sort of answer is that?" she demanded. "What you say can be construed as treason."

Raphael moved abruptly from the small gathering of men he'd been sitting with and put a hand on Alister's shoulder. He must have overheard their conversation. "Go join the others, Alister," he said quietly.

The red-haired man glanced at the captain, then moved past him to where the other men were sitting. Raphael had been turning to join them when Vivian drew herself up and said haughtily, "You had best teach your men respect for their master, Captain. Alister constantly speaks out of line—it is a mark of a captain who does not take his duty seriously."

Raphael's gaze hardened as he turned back to her. "Who said I asked to be captain? That was something decided for me," he retorted coldly. "And it is not your concern how I manage my men, as you are from a different kingdom."

Vivian bristled. "You are aware that Alister has just spoken with treason, correct?"

The burly man paused. Vivian glanced briefly at the other men and realized that they were watching them just as intently as Alister had been studying her moments ago. "I am well aware of it. Again, however, this is not your concern," he said at last.

"Do you not care?" she persisted. "This blatant disrespect from both you and your men towards the prince is—"

"Alister only says what I cannot," Raphael shot back, showing the very first sign of irritation. Almost immediately after he had spoken, however, he froze and an expression very close to horror flashed across his features.

Vivian's eyebrows arched. "How interesting, Captain. Your statement suggests that you feel as if you owe him no allegiance," she said, rising to her feet. "While it may not be my concern to address this to the prince, I will be certain to let my mistress know what you said—who, by the way, _can_ do something about it."

She left Raphael standing where he was and continued on her way, going to the tent to check up on Jean Claude. She would most definitely bring this up with Mai once she was reunited with her.

She halted in the shadow of a tree and leaned against it tiredly. She had been praying desperately to find Mai as soon as she was able; she had taken a small comfort from the notion of her being with the thieves, if only because it meant she was no longer in danger from being eaten by the dragon. Even so, though…she was trapped with such vulgar men, and though Mai was able to handle herself who knew what had happened to her while in their company?

"Please…please be all right, Highness," she said softly.

* * *

><p>Bakura did not look nearly as troubled as he should by what he'd just heard, Mai noted irritably from her position by the bed. On the contrary, he looked amused. "So the prince is planning an ambush, is he?" he asked Valon.<p>

The Aurosian shrugged. "I dunno," he said. "I mean, I s'ppose 'e might. I 'eard one o' them say somethin' 'bout another camp, but…I couldn' tell you anything 'bout 'ow many there are if there was another one."

Bakura waved dismissively. "They're by the river, if I had to wager a guess," he said. "Likely the fools think I'll walk willy-nilly into a trap."

Yugi raised an eyebrow, putting away the healing potion and handing back Valon's now mended shirt. "You don't sound surprised at all," he commented.

The white haired man snorted. "There's always one idiot prince that tries playing the hero. I won't trouble myself with him for now, as I have other matters to attend to."

Jou, who was standing next to her, folded his arms across his chest. "What kind of business do you have?" he asked suspiciously.

"The problem with Kaiba, for example," said Ryou calmly. "If there are soldiers in the woods that means that Kaiba may get caught in the crossfire, should the prince somehow deduce where our hideout is."

"But isn't it a secret location?" Mai asked. "What's the purpose of having a secret lair if they know where it is?"

Ryou sighed. "It's not so much a matter of them finding it as they'll be lead to it. If Kaiba continues on with his rendezvous tonight it means he'll be going directly to our lair. You can't hardly miss a White Dragon in flight; if Adias is with them, so are other forest men who know that the dragons don't ever stray from their range unless Kaiba himself is with them. It will prompt them to investigate. Believe me, Highness—Kaiba will believe it to be an ambush and he _will _react accordingly."

Mai frowned. "So I'm guessing you need to arrange a different meeting place?"

Bakura looked to Yugi and said gruffly, "Correct, and I've already decided. Kaiba will be coming here, little wizard."

Valon, who had been pulling his shirt on gingerly and had his head through the collar of his shirt, paused with a visibly surprised expression on his face; the thought of a mouse peering comically out of a hole in the ground suddenly came to mind and Mai fought the absurd notion to laugh. "'e is?"

A growl arose from within the Millennium Puzzle. _Bakura, I will not tolerate such a blatant disregard for Yugi's safety, _said Yami coldly. _The mess with Kaiba is your affair, not one to loop Yugi into. The guards will most assuredly see Kaiba come here and they will follow._

"This inn an ideal meeting place, though," said Jou suddenly, startling all of them. "It's just like negotiating a truce between two warring kingdoms, right? Neither will meet on ground that belongs to either kingdom, but they will gather at a place that belongs to neither side. It's diplomacy at its finest."

He glanced to the Puzzle. "I'm not saying that it's a perfect solution, Yami, and I don't really want to accommodate either of these jerks, but for the sake of getting any innocent people caught in the crossfire it might be best to let this meeting happen here."

There was a long pause. Valon pulled his shirt fully down and Marik, who had been examining his dagger once again, sheathed it.

"He's right, Yami," said Yugi gently, breaking the silence first. "Jou's absolutely right. We're going to have to let Kaiba come here. We'll tell him to fly higher than normal and to take some precautions when he comes, so that no one sees him."

_ I do not approve of you taking this risk, Yugi, especially on behalf of the tomb raider and to simply accommodate Kaiba of all people._

Another stretch of silence fell, and then Yami sighed. _Knowing the thief he will arrange matters so that Kaiba comes here anyways, whether I like it or not._

Bakura bowed in a distinctly mocking gesture. "Of course, dear Yami," he said. "It is hardly my concern about Yugi remaining here in spite of orders to leave. That was a decision he made to disobey the prince."

_…Very well, thief. Kaiba may come here._

A familiar burst of shadows emerged from the puzzle and Yami appeared, the lower half of his body nothing more than smoke; his eyes, however, were cold and dark pools of red. Even weakened as he was by his earlier possession of Yugi he still held all the regality of a king and Mai felt uneasy. "But I warn you, Bakura. If harm befalls Yugi in this venture you will regret bringing this to our doorstep—as will you, cursed child. Do not look so surprised," he added when Jou shot him a startled glance. "By volunteering information as you have you have placed yourself as being responsible for the outcome. No doubt you are used to being in a position of responsibility over these types of decisions."

Jou nodded grimly. "I can accept that."

Mai frowned at Yami's words. Used to being responsible…? How had Jou known that little bit about diplomacy? That information was not readily known amongst common folk, but it was taught as a staple for nobility…maybe he had been educated by a scholar or some member of royalty?

Come to think of it…

Her brow furrowed even further as she remembered the first time Jou had become human in the cave. Jou had mentioned knowing how to read the languages in the spell book, which was something that—again—was only available to scholars or nobility. He'd also known how to dance (she blushed at the memory) and there had been other indicators that he'd been educated in some fashion. How could he know all of these things unless…

Jou did not seem like a scholarly type, so that had to mean he was a squire of some sort. But if he was a squire he would have needed permission from his lord to leave, and Jou had implied that it had been his father who had refused to let him go on the quest in searching for a cure. That had to mean his father was either a knight or a minor noble…it would explain why his mother had been from a different country, since it meant she was either a slave or a betrothed bride.

But minor nobles were not taught diplomacy between kingdoms and certainly not how to read the languages that could be found in the spell book…could it be possible Jou was a prince of some sort? It was plausible and all the clues she'd been receiving pointed to this being the case, but only one matter stood in the way—news of a missing prince would have spread like wildfire throughout the countries, no matter how tightly it was under wraps. If Jou was a missing noble then how come no one had announced it? True, it could be a preventative step to stop anyone from attacking a kingdom, but even so she would have noticed a missing prince.

She was so focused on her thoughts that she started tuning out the conversation, but a movement from the corner of her eyes caught her attention once again—B akura was leaving the room to go he paused, looking imperiously at Ryou. "You. Come with me."

Ryou blinked in surprise. "What?"

Bakura rolled his eyes. "You're coming with me, fool," he said flatly, grabbing Ryou's arm and dragging him out the door.

"Where to?" asked Yugi, looking somewhat concerned.

Bakura paused and looked back at Yugi with raised eyebrows. "I wasn't aware that was your business. Using potions on Dragon Boy over there don't seem to work on him, so I'm sure you don't need Ryou—and even so, he's not under your care."

Valon tilted his head thoughtfully. "Wouldn' it be Yugi's business, though? I mean, 'e's lettin' you 'old your big pow-wow with Kaiba at 'is inn, isn' 'e?"

Bakura glared.

From behind Valon a tendril of shadow wrapped itself around his mouth and Valon let out a muffled and indignant yell, his hands going to the shadow and trying futilely to yank it off. His struggles made him tilt crazily to the left and he let out another yell as he toppled off the mattress. Mai winced—thankfully the healing potion had mostly mended his injuries.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stay out of my affairs?" said Bakura irritably. "The only reason you're even around is because of the woman, so do me a favor and meddle in her business instead of mine."

With that he dragged Ryou out into the hallway and made his way outside; before he left the building entirely he called back, "Watch our royal guest, Marik!"

The sound of horses whinnying from outside filtered inside, followed by the sound of their hooves as they galloped out of the clearing. "Since when have they had horses?" Mai asked in surprise. The last she'd seen the animals had been back at the thieves' lair, in their underground stable.

"While you were sleeping, Highness, we went back to gather our horses. You did not think we would leave ourselves without transportation in the event of an emergency, did you?" Marik replied shortly. "Really, woman. Exercise common sense for a—"

Mai bristled and rose to her feet. "Either speak to me civilly or not at all, because otherwise I won't bother listening to you," she said angrily. "So a noble wronged you a long time ago. Boo-freaking-hoo. If you don't like dealing with royalty so much why not leave Bakura's gang and go back to Enterra? You can go hide with your mole-people clan and pretend I don't exist!" she finished hotly.

Marik's eyes flashed with anger, but for the briefest of seconds she saw guilt and pain go across his face. Then he was standing up and storming silently from the room; she heard the front door of the inn slam as Marik left and she huffed, glaring at the door. "Great. Now he hates me even more."

To her surprise, however, Yugi shook his head. "Your response has been long in coming, if I'm right and Marik's been like this to you since you've met. What you said might have been…blunt…but you were somewhat in the right. What happened to him was not your fault."

Mai's expression softened. Marik had implied yesterday that his past experience involving royalty had not ended well and then there had been Yami's jeering words from earlier that morning."What _did_ happen to Marik?" she asked.

Yugi cleared his throat and looked as if he was debating on answering, but then Valon began waving and the remaining occupants of the room turned to watch him point to his shadow-covered mouth. Surprisingly, it was Jou who moved. "Hold on, let's see if I can't get it off you," he said, his talons grasping the shadow and beginning to tug on it.

Yugi stepped forward. "Jou, it doesn't quite—"

"Don't worry about it, Yugi, I can get it!" replied Jou, grunting as he tugged on the shadow. Valon moved backwards to allow Jou to pry the gag off, but seconds later let out a growl of pain as Jou yanked too hard.

"Jou—"

"I got it," repeated Jou, his tail lashing in annoyance as he pulled.

Unfortunately Mai realized what it was that Yugi was trying to tell him, but before she could warn Jou his grip on the shadow slipped and he stumbled backward with a draconic screech of alarm. Mai had a several second impression of an obsidian-colored blur coming at her before Jou knocked her over and they toppled into the wall—though Jou had made certain to put himself between her and the wall.

Mai took a moment to regain the breath that had been slammed out of her lungs and to allow her spinning vision to clear, but then she realized that there was something heavy pinning her down. Jou was on top of her. She shoved him but he barely moved; she was surprised by how warm his body was. "Jou, get off. You're crushing me," she grunted, trying to make him move.

Jou shook his head to clear his vision, then used his arms to prop himself up. She felt his palms press into her arms. "Owww," he groaned, his ruby-colored eyes going to Mai. He blinked several times, then promptly blushed. "Er…"

Mai did not entirely understand what the problem was until she realized the position that Jou had inadvertently put them in by moving; his taloned hands were pinning her arms above her head and most of his body was holding hers down. His face was but mere inches from hers.

She felt the color rise into her cheeks. "Jou, you can get off me now," she said with a nervous laugh. She thought it over before recovering and then shooting him a sly smile. "Or is it that you like this position?"

Jou's face completely went red and he scrambled to his feet hastily. As an afterthought he bent down and carefully lifted Mai to her feet. "Sorry," he muttered, looking embarrassed.

An amused chuckle came from within the puzzle, and Yugi seemed to be holding back a smile—though he also looked as if he was debating on averting his eyes. Valon's eyes were twinkling in mischief, but he was incapable of saying anything at the moment.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Jou said defensively, his face still bright red.

"What I was trying to tell you, Jou, was that you can't remove shadows like that," said Yugi with a laugh. He lifted his hand toward Valon and focused on the shadow; the puzzle flashed briefly and the shadow dissolved with a smoky wisp. "Magic removes magic."

Jou groaned. "You could have warned me before I started tugging," he said.

Valon moved his mouth around and grimaced. "I kinda wish tha' too. 'e's got a righ' tough grip. Those shadows of yours 'n' 'kura's are cold 'n' they don' come off too easy," he said, rubbing his jaw with his arm.

_They are not meant for comfort,_ replied Yami evenly. _Bakura was being kinder than normal. His patience is thin, though—you would do well to exercise caution while in his company._

Mai snorted. "That I can believe," she said. "Is he always that cranky?"

Yugi sighed, holding a hand out to Valon to help him to his feet. "Believe me, Mai, you haven't seen Bakura when he's angry," he said simply. "Annoyed, probably, but truly angry…well, it's not a pretty sight. Valon, you might as well sit back down on the bed. You're not going anywhere."

Valon grinned and ruffled Yugi's hair. "Naw, I reckon I am. I c'n 'andle myself, mate," he said brightly. "Tha' potion of yours did the trick. I feel as fit as a fiddle."

Yugi's eyebrow rose. "Really now?"

"Yup!"

The shorter wizard eyed Valon for a moment, then deliberately and firmly poked an area on Valon's torso. The Aurosian flinched violently and instinctively hunched over to shield the wounded area, and his grin became a little forced.

"See? Perfectly fine," Valon said with a slightly strained voice.

Yugi was clearly not convinced. "Valon, my potions aren't heal-all miracles," he said. "You had two broken ribs and healing potions, no matter how strong they are, can't entirely heal broken bones. It takes multiple doses to do that, depending on the fracture, and right now your ribs are still recovering."

"I swear I'll be careful, Yugi!" retorted Valon. "I 'ate bein' cooped up, 'n' Adias bein' in the forest 'as t' mean Raph 'n' Alister are 'ere too!"

Yugi's face briefly flickered and Mai suddenly got the impression that Yugi knew something Valon did not. "Adias told me they weren't, when I asked him," he said. "Just because I'm disguised as an old man doesn't mean I can't ask," he added when three startled gazes went to him.

Valon glowered. "Adias said tha' too, but tha' don' mean I believe 'im."

_You do not seem to understand, boy,_ said Yami curtly. _By capturing you, the guards intended to bring you before the prince and present you as one of the thieves. Raphael and Alister would be powerless to defend you, for even if they did—and I've no doubt they would—that gesture would only implicate themselves in the matter. How do you think the prince will see this, with two men on his guard defending the accused…and especially since you _are_ here with the kidnapped princess herself? If the rumors about the coup-d'état we've been hearing are true, then this will only compound their difficulties._

"Tha' rumor's a bunch o' crap!" Valon retorted hotly. "Raph wouldn' get involved in anythin' like tha' coo-de-whatsis, 'n' neither would Alister!"

Mai started. "How did you know about that? I thought that particular bit of news was confined to the castle."

Yami laughed darkly. _You do not believe that we looked into the matter of the magic users being banished from the land? With the exception of a handful who managed to avoid the eviction, maiden, the kingdom finds itself without any magic casters—simply over a man's paranoia._

Valon glared at a point on the wall sullenly. "I's a load of codswallop," he muttered. "'m tellin' you—!"

"We know, Valon," said Yugi wearily. Clearly this was a point that had been argued over in the past. "You only have to stay here until tomorrow because I'm out of healing potion and it'll take me most of today to brew them. Your ribs need one last dose before I let you go. Besides, you need to get me a couple of deer antlers from the southern meadow tomorrow…no, not that one, that's the one by the river. I meant the northern one, where all the bucks are gathering."

"Wha' for?" asked Valon, suddenly looking interested.

"I need it for a spell I've been working on. It's supposed to make you invisible as well as enhancing your speed for getaway should it wear off, so I'm experimenting with animals known for their stealth and speed."

"Wouldn' a mountain lion fit the bill better?"

"They would, but five out of their six ends are sharp and pointy," Yugi deadpanned. "Besides, patching both you and Jou up took the rest of the healing potion I had in stock. Think of this as payback."

"Couldn't we use the healing water?" asked Jou suddenly. "I mean, we need it for the baby dragon, I know, but—"

"Healing wa—healing_ water_?" Yugi asked, his eyes lighting up. He honestly looked as if he was debating on doing a little dance. "You actually found a spring of sanare aquos?"

Jou was watching Yugi's visible excitement with raised eyebrows. "Why is the water such an exciting discovery to you?"

"My grandfather traveled for years trying to find one when he was younger. The properties of sanare aquos—Latin for "healing water"—are extensive. Sanare aquos could cure anything save for age, if what I've heard is true," he said almost dreamily. "Illnesses, broken bones, poison…potions vary on the strength of the wizard brewing them, so mine are always weaker in comparison to Ryou's. Even so, no matter how strong the wizard the healing potions can only ever 'almost' cure a malady and broken bones are particularly hard to heal.

"With the water from a healing spring you can heal anything."

Valon blinked. "So…using this sonor agus—"

"Sanare aquos," Yugi corrected patiently.

"Righ', righ'. So you could fix my arm 'n' my ribs with this water without a problem 'n' I wouldn' 'ave to be careful for a week?" he asked, suddenly hopeful. "Tha's amazin'! When'd the water get involved in all this any'ow?"

"Pretty much since I've been around," replied Jou. "How else did you think I got better after Bakura attacked me with that sword?"

"Sword…? Oh, Dragon's Bane," Yugi muttered, scowling. "I'd wondered about that when I saw that sword of his. No wonder I can't find that map of northern Haurand anywhere."

_I would have stopped him had he not locked the Millennium Puzzle in a dark drawer. _Yami sounded oddly defensive.

"Anyways, like I was saying, we could use a bit of the water on Valon," Jou continued. "He wouldn't have to stay here if he—"

"Not happening."

They all jumped and saw Marik leaning in the doorway, his arms folded across his chest. If he was still angry over what Mai had said there was no indication of his feelings on his features. "We don't know how much we'll need to use on Kaiba's injured dragon kit, especially since the dragons are notorious for being almost impervious to magic," he said sternly. "We already used some earlier on Her Highness last night, so we need to conserve it."

He paused, then looked at Yugi. "By the way, there's a caravan coming this way—and I believe they've got some dancers with them."

Yugi's face both flushed and brightened all at once. "Oh, really? Do they need supplies?" he asked.

"Probably. They are coming this way and some of them look tired. You very well might have guests tonight."

_I do believe that Yugi has more on his mind than weary travelers, Marik. _Yami's voice carried a note of amusement.

Marik frowned in some confusion before a look of realization crossed his features and he smirked. "Oh yes, that's right. There were dancers, after all, so it's entirely possible that Téa is with them."

Mai and Jou both looked at Yugi, who had turned bright pink. "Th-that's not entirely the reason," he said, looking adorably flustered. "Customers are always welcome here, since we don't get many paying ones around."

Valon assumed an expression of feigned innocence. "So you wouldn' mind if I talked with Téa if she's with 'em, righ'? Y'know, jus' t' get to know 'er a bit, maybe ask her if she wants t' catch a bite 'n' take a walk by the river under the moonlight…I'm jus' messin' with you," he said, grinning widely when Yugi started bristling. "We all know she's your girl."

The shorter wizard now looked both indignant and embarrassed. "She's not—"

"Honey, I'm new around here and even I can see you like her," Mai pointed out. "Who is Téa anyways?"

_Téa is a childhood friend of Yugi's from the nearby town. She recently joined a traveling troupe of dancers, as her passion has always been for the dance. His feelings for her run deeper than most people realize, especially when his thoughts wander at night and he thinks of her—_

Marik, Jou, and Valon promptly burst out laughing at Yami's last sentence and Mai was giggling at the shorter wizard's suddenly flustered face.

"_Yami!"_ Yugi wailed over the sound of laughter. "You're not allowed to tell my thoughts without permission! That's not fair!"

_Oh come now, Yugi, I only jest. After all, it is not true that you care for her and to you she is but a mere acquaintance._

"I do so care about her and she's more than an acquaintance to me—oh I just walked into that one," Yugi groaned when the laughter intensified. He buried his face in his hands out of embarrassment. When he next spoke his voice was muffled by his hands. "Yami, you'll be the death of me."

* * *

><p>Kaiba carefully entered the cave, letting his eyes adjust to the dim light before stepping in. He had hitched a ride with Bennu to get to the nest, as had Mokuba; the younger dragon had decided to hunt, leaving her older sister in charge of the kits. He'd allowed Mokuba and Bennu to enter first, surveying the snow-covered mountain to make certain that there was no threat. He doubted it, but then again the thieves had managed to get up here with no trouble.<p>

"Kisara, Bennu, I'm coming in," he announced, his voice bouncing off the cavern walls. He stepped into the cave, which had sunlight filtering in from a hole in the roof above and was lined with crystals, ice, and even diamond; the dragons in his care tended to nest in such caves. "Mokuba, where are you?"

"I'm back here, Seto!" called Mokuba from the direction of Bennu's nest, giggling when two kits bowled him over. Bennu's eggs had hatched earlier than Kisara's and Bennu's kits were already the size and weight of wolfhounds.

Kaiba's expression softened and he made his way to the nest. Lined with scales that Bennu had dropped and furs from the kills the dragon brought back, it was a comfortable little spot nestled behind several naturally occurring stone pillars. Even as he approached he could see Bennu's large body in the dim light, alternating between making her kits didn't bully Mokuba and tearing the deer carcass into bits the baby dragons could eat.

He bent down and stroked one of the kits that had been sleeping in the curve of the nest; the scales on this kit were just starting to harden, but like its siblings its scales still held the texture of softened leather. The kit mewled sleepily and blinked up at him curiously before curling up again.

"Mokuba, the medicine?" he asked. Although the dragons were impervious to most magic and weapons illness amongst the kits was still a real concern. These kits were fairly healthy, but even so he'd heard one of them sniffling and it would be too easy for that sniffle to turn into sickness—and he already had one kit that needed help.

Bennu's neck twisted and lowered her head to below Kaiba's eye level. _Master's kit gave the medicine, _she said with a rumbling purr. _Thank you for that. If it would not be too much trouble, Master, could you…?_

The dragon adjusted her head so that her eye was facing him, then tilted it upwards.

_"_Of course," he said, carefully running his fingernails along the scales underneath Bennu's eye. It was a spot that the dragons had trouble reaching with their talons, as the claws were far too large and easily could put out their eyes.

He scratched carefully for a few more minutes before patting her neck. "Better?"

_Much. Once again, thank you._

As the kits Bennu's head lifted and her gaze went to the opposite side of the cave, where Kisara's nest was. Her head lowered and a concerned rumble left her throat. _Master, Sister's kit is dying. _

Kaiba grimaced. "I know," he said wearily. "That's why I've come up here. Is Kisara in her nest?"

_Yes, but be careful._

Bennu's warning was not made because of the location of Kisara's nest (which was hidden in a grotto somewhere above them and only accessible by a small outcrop of stone). Kisara, though loyal to both Kaiba and Mokuba, was incredibly defensive of her injured kit whenever she was in the nest and after the attack that had been made on it her instincts were to kill first and ask questions later.

"I tried going up there first while you were patrolling," said Mokuba from behind him, looking worried. "She growled at me and I'm pretty sure she would have bitten me if I tried coming any closer."

"Don't worry over it, Mokuba," he replied. "I'll try and see if I can't get in there. The kit needs to have another poultice applied."

So saying, Kaiba made his way to the back of the cavern and carefully began climbing the narrow path; it took him several minutes, but at length he made it and paused. Kisara had angled her body so that it blocked the entry way to the nest; from inside he could hear gentle, reassuring rumbles and weak squeals of pain. "Kisara?"

There was a pause and then the body shifted, the larger dragon's head coming into view.

"I need to come in. Your kit needs to have its bandages changed," he said, holding out the bag with the supplies inside to show her.

Kisara's teeth bared and a snarl rose in her throat. _Come to hurt? Come to kill Kisara kit?_

Kaiba frowned. Kisara had reverted to the simple language of the dragons, which implied that the instincts to protect her kit were overwhelming her rational thoughts—no wonder she'd snapped at Mokuba. "Not hurt, help," he said, keeping his own words simple. "Master help Kisara kit."

The dragon studied him coldly for a few moments, still snarling, but she did not move.

Kaiba very slowly lowered his hand to his side and reached for the sword, unsheathing it and holding it out for Kisara's inspection—the sword had been fashioned from _her _scales, after all, so the scent of her scales would help calm her down. Kisara did not let just anyone have them, after all. "See? No hurt. Master Kisara friend. Master help Kisara kit."

The dragon leaned forward, almost entirely in Kaiba's face and her breath ruffling his hair as she studied the sword. Seconds later she started and drew back, looking remarkably chaste. _Sorry Master. I did not mean to—_

Kaiba held out a hand and gently petted the dragon's snout. "I understand, Kisara. Can I check on your kit?" he asked gently. "I won't hurt it, but the poultice needs to be changed and I need to check on the kit's injuries."

Kisara rumbled in acquiescence and allowed him to pass by her and into the nest, lifting her wing to reveal the small form huddled miserably against her mother's side.

Kisara's kit had hatched late, so it was younger and smaller than Bennu's entire litter, no larger than a young lamb. She was lying on her uninjured side, her sides heaving and her breath coming in quick, rasping pants; her eyes were glazed over with fever and her left wing hung in the air awkwardly above her body—unlike her older counterparts she could not fold it over her body because that was where the injury was.

Her injuries.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed at the sight of the bandages, soaked with blood and pus, and a growl of his own bubbled out of his throat. Beneath the cotton bandages that covered her entire side and even wrapped around her neck was nothing but infected flesh—with such traumatic wounds the kit would not survive. "Has she eaten at all?" he asked, softly stroking the top of the kit's head.

Even though Kaiba barely touched the kit she let out a shrill squeal of pain and he leaned away, anger and pity meshing uncomfortably in the pit of his stomach. Kisara rumbled reassuringly but dared not touch her kit for fear of aggravating her injuries. The kit thrashed feebly before settling back down into her apathetic state.

_She hasn't eaten for two days, Master._ Kisara's voice was subdued. _She will not live to see tomorrow._

Kaiba's face hardened. The meeting with Bakura would have to be moved. If (and that was a big _if_) there was something that could heal these traumatic injuries then he needed to get it before it was too late…but even now he was still deciding if it was not some sort of trap. Why would Bakura offer such a gift when he had been the one to mortally wound the—

"_Seto."_

Kaiba jumped at the low, urgent voice that was at the entrance to Kisara's nest. His younger brother was the only one person knew his real name, as there were plenty of wizards who could use his true name to curse him or worse. Mokuba avoided using it unless they were completely alone—or if it was an emergency.

Kisara's head snapped up, her pupils dilating and her lips drawing back in a snarl. _It is the kit murderer, Master. He has dared to come here,_ she growled, eyes glowing and lightning beginning to crackle along her jaws.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed and he rose to his feet. "Kisara, stay here. I know you're angry at the thief but your kit needs you here," he said, striding from the nest. "Bennu?"

_I am here, Master._ Bennu's own voice was a half snarl.

"Be ready. If I need you I'll call you," he ordered. "And Kisara, I mean it—_stay there_."

Mokuba followed after him silently, his eyes conveying just as much anger as the dragons were showing. Kaiba knew better than to order him to stay in the cave; knowing Bakura, he would try to capture his brother again if left alone—but even so he made sure he was between his brother and the entrance to the cave.

When he stepped out he noticed a figure with white hair standing just out of sight of the entrance; around the figure's neck was a golden hoop with a triangle in the middle of the hoop, an eye in its center. The pendant hung on a thick rope and was deliberately placed over the top of Ryou's shirt, subtly reminding everyone involved. "You had better have a good reason for being here, thief," he said coldly.

The other man jumped and Kaiba knew instantly that he was not talking to Bakura—the self-claimed Thief King would never be startled. Mokuba confirmed this suspicion seconds later when he peered around his older brother's body. "Ryou?"

Ryou smiled nervously at them. "Hello," he said, offering them an awkward wave. "How are you doing?"

Kaiba's eyes narrowed.

"I guess you're doing fine," he said conversationally. "I mean, everything around here seems to be quiet. How's Kisara's kit?"

"Dying." Mokuba's voice was curt and angry.

Ryou grimaced. "I see," he said, looking genuinely concerned. "I was—"

Kaiba folded his arms over his chest. "I don't do social, thief. If you have something to tell me then spit it out. Otherwise, quit wasting your time before I call my dragons—I have no time for your drivel."

Ryou sobered and the awkwardness instantly vanished. "Very well then. Kaiba, this message comes from Bakura and the only reason he could not deliver this in person is because he is well aware of your dragon's pre-existing tension with him. Due to unforeseen circumstances he's asking for a change in meeting places—the location we previously agreed upon is no longer available."

Kaiba said nothing for a moment, weighing his words. "Is there any particular reason why?" he asked.

Ryou's expression did not change. "We have other things to attend to aside from the crisis with you and your dragons. Our lair is not an ideal meeting place as initially thought and if you go there then you will be in danger. We've already got enough to deal with as it is, we don't need to land in even further trouble with you," he said, the slightest trace of a rebuke in his voice. "Besides, you would approve of the new meeting place."

"Oh yeah?" asked Mokuba with a scoff. "And why would we? Where is this new place?"

Ryou eyed them steadily. "The Turtle Shop. Yugi only asks that when you come you fly higher than normal, so that no one from the ground can see you."

Kaiba felt the briefest hint of approval. Neutral ground, where neither party held the advantage and where the mediator between the two parties was a wizard. Clever—it would be harder for him to destroy the thieves should their "healing water" prove to be useless.

Ryou seemed to have guessed Kaiba's thoughts. "Yugi's already confirmed that he will not interfere if the water does not heal the kit. It is the bargain that was agreed upon, after all."

Kaiba mulled over this for several moments, while Mokuba glowered at Ryou and the growls from both Kisara and Bennu filtered in from the cavern behind him. At length he straightened up and folded his arms across his chest. "Very well," he said, startling Mokuba and causing the child to look up at him with confusion. "I will accept this latest change."

Ryou looked relieved. "Thank you for understanding—."

Kaiba held up a hand to silence him. "Keep in mind, however, that because you changed one part of this bargain I will change one aspect as well. We're meeting this afternoon instead of tonight."

A look of alarm crossed Ryou's features. "Wait a moment, Kaiba. It's almost the afternoon now," he said. "Bakura and I won't be able to make it back before you arrive and Yugi won't know you're coming, you'll run straight into his barrier."

"Then you should have thought of that beforehand," he replied coldly. "You arrived here quickly despite the fact that it takes a day and a half to reach this place by foot, not counting the time it takes to climb up the mountain. I'm sure you can make it back to Yugi with time to spare."

Ryou grimaced and seemed about to reply when he froze, his eyes glazing over and then shifting, the shape angling and the color turning into an almost mahogany hue, not quite red but certainly not brown. Kaiba rolled his eyes; he knew what that meant. This was some trick that had been developed between Ryou and Bakura, and even Yugi did it at times. From within the cave sounded a roar of outrage—the dragons could sense the magic that now hung around Ryou and also had understood what the pressure signified.

"It figures you would possess him from a distance just to avoid confronting me in person, Bakura," said Kaiba shortly.

A grin that Ryou certainly never used split his face. "Ah, Kaiba, and I thought you didn't believe I could do this."

That cinched it—he _was_ dealing with Bakura at the moment.

"What do _you_ want?" asked Mokuba angrily. "Haven't you done enough?"

"Oh believe me, boy, I've done not nearly enough," Bakura sneered. To those who knew him, the change in demeanor was unsettling; supposedly, Bakura could use Ryou as one would use a communication amulet, but Kaiba was not one who held much stock to such beliefs.

"I assume that you have a reason for not showing yourself, since you were cowardly enough to send your little messenger," Kaiba said flatly.

"Don't mistake my intentions," Bakura replied with that same arrogant voice, gesturing to the cave. "I merely showed your dragons respect by keeping a distance, but I now believe I need to say something on the matter of your arrival."

"Like what?"

Bakura raised an eyebrow. "Do you really wish to incur the wizard's wrath? Even I do not cross Yugi, Kaiba, and he does need a warning of your unexpectedly early arrival. Surely you of all people know what happens when you catch Yugi off guard—and let's not forget dear Yami."

Kaiba repressed the urge to flinch. The last time he had offended Yami he'd nearly ended up as a Shadow—the only reason he'd been transformed into a goat for a month instead had been because Yugi had intervened. Even so, Yugi was formidable to face with or without the often malevolent spirit in the puzzle.

"…Fine. Ten minute head start."

"Twenty, Kaiba," retorted Bakura flatly. "I might have used magic to get here but it's not something I can do at the drop of a hat. It takes time to gather it once more."

Kaiba arched an eyebrow. "Fifteen."

Bakura bowed. "That will do _my liege_," he said mockingly, and then shadows swirled around him and white haired thief vanished into them. "Until our next meeting," he called, his voice fading as the shadows dissipated.

The moment Bakura/Ryou (whoever it was he had been dealing) vanished Mokuba looked up to his brother. "Why did you agree to the change, Seto?" he asked, following after his older brother as the man strode into the cave.

He did not immediately reply, instead turning his attention to a still-growling Bennu; from deeper in the cave he could hear Kisara's own snarls: _Kit murderer, kit murderer dare trespass on nest again—?_

"Easy, Bennu," Mokuba said reassuringly, reaching for her and stroking her head gently. "He's left."

The dragon calmed, but even so her eyes were still lit with anger and growls rumbled through her throat. Identical snarls kept filtering from above them and the two humans could see Kisara's glowing eyes and the lightning that crackled along her closed jaws.

The younger boy looked up at where the white lightning crackled and danced in the darkness, bouncing off the crystals and casting tiny colored pinpricks of light on the walls. Mokuba was still watching the entrancing and oddly beautiful lights when he next spoke. "You changed the time of the meeting for Kisara's sake, didn't you?"

Kaiba said nothing in reply. He didn't have to—Mokuba already knew the answer.

* * *

><p>Down in the forest below the two horses that were tethered by a bubbling brook suddenly whickered and tossed their heads nervously as shadows began pooling out from the shade of a nearby pine tree. The shadows rose and from inside the darkness stumbled out a familiar white haired figure, who nearly fell face first into the fallen pine needles and cones around him.<p>

Ryou grimaced as he rubbed his throbbing temples, sinking against the tree and listening to the sounds of the horse's whickering. "A warning would be nice whenever you decide to possess me, Bakura," he said wearily at last.

The Millennium Ring flashed around his neck. _It's not my fault you decided to blubber around like an idiot._

"Pardon me for trying to keep the peace—Yami's still not forgiven Kaiba for that one incident," Ryou said flatly. "It's bad enough that we've managed to anger Kaiba, but if we get Yami angry at us too…"

_I hardly care for the feud between Kaiba and our dear Yami. That's their business._

"You've never been one for diplomacy, have you?"

_I have no patience to cater to either of their egos._

"Says the one who's declared himself 'the Thief King' and whose ego easily dwarfs both Kaiba's and Yami's," muttered Ryou, leaning against the bark of the tree.

_I heard that. Now let me have my body back._

The white-haired thief sighed but complied, slipping the heavy and cold necklace off of him and setting it on the ground. "As you wish."

There was a brief pause as the ring lay in the sunlight. Ryou leaned against the trunk of the tree and closed his eyes; he did not need to watch to know that the shadows around him were starting to flow toward the ring, because he could feel the chill in the air as the shadows gathered beneath the ring. His eyes opened in time to watch as the sunlight in the clearing dimmed and shadows began climbing into the air, reforming into a featureless human shape; the shadows that would form into the other man's hair flew out to the sides in snake-like tendrils and a pair of glowing red eyes pierced through the darkness.

Ryou shuddered. Even though he'd seen Bakura form his body before he still couldn't stand to look at Bakura's eyes—he often felt as if they contained the essence of evil whenever he was in this form.

The shadows settled abruptly and Bakura reappeared, the red light in his eyes dimming but not diminishing. He brushed stray pine needles off of his dark clothes and eyed the pendant critically to make sure there was no dirt on it. "Next time you should set it down on someplace without so many confounded pine needles to deal with."

"Given the region we're in, Bakura, that's not so easy to do," said Ryou tiredly, rising to his feet and brushing off his clothes. He reached his horse and patted its neck reassuringly before mounting it; Bakura had already gotten onto his horse and was wheeling it around. "So what now? You used Shadow magic to get here."

Bakura snorted. "We ride for ten minutes, then I use Shadow magic to return to an area close to the wizard's home. I would simply do it now but the last thing I need is for you to fall off your horse."

Ryou paused. Bakura had likely read his mind, but then again Ryou's physical exhaustion was clearly apparent; Bakura had possessed him and had used Shadow magic using Ryou's body and he was simply not conditioned to do such a thing. Bakura was the one who had put himself in charge of the Millennium Ring, which meant that Ryou's endurance and the ability to wield the item was weaker than Bakura's. Traveling through the shadows at this moment would not be beneficial at the moment—he needed to wait until he'd garnered some more of his strength.

He patted his horse's neck one last time before he nudged it into a canter. "Then we'd best get going."

He had not gotten far when Bakura caught up at a gallop, easily passing Ryou and moving ahead. Ryou let out a chuckle that was lost in the sound of the wind passing him by—the tomb robber refused to be second to anyone, and yet he also knew Bakura would not go too far ahead of him.

The two of them cleared the pine forest almost ten minutes later and even though Bakura was ahead of him Ryou could see the Millennium Ring light up. Shadows ahead of them pooled and formed into a rippling portal. Without any hesitation they rode their horses into the shadows and vanished from view.


	19. The Tragedy of the Ishtar Clan

_...asdfghjklBLARGHWHY._

_All right. This chapter was ridicuously late and I really have no excuse for its tardiness. I should have had this done much sooner, but the content of this chapter would not cooperate. I really wanted to have more happen in this chapter but I ended up splitting it into two chapters instead; expect that one by the end of the week (and that's a solemn promise). _

_By the way, I did a couple technical things to the story; I went back and gave the chapters actual names and I drew out a cover for this story (which you can see in the story bar thingamajig above this little note). Thanks for all the support so far, guys, and I only hope you forgive me for being so late!_

* * *

><p>Yugi whipped the hood of the cloak over his head and turned to face them, a thick and fluffy beard growing as his skin wrinkled and darkened beneath the hood. "How do I look?" he asked, his voice coming out in a low croak.<p>

Mai, currently seated in a chair near the fire, studied the shorter wizard's now aged appearance; Jou was investigating the items behind Yugi's counter and Marik was sitting at the same table Mai was, but Valon had been confined to his bed and was currently taking a nap (he had been up all night, according to him, and some down time was much appreciated).

With the exception of his eyes—which were still somewhat large and held a purple hue to them— he was completely unrecognizable. She shook her head. "I still think that this is ridiculous," she said flatly. "If Téa is your childhood friend I don't see how disguising your appearance is going to fool her any."

"Then again, Princess, I'm not supposed to be here," replied Yugi, looking momentarily deflated. "I was supposed to have been banished by the prince—who answers to the name of Jean Claude, I believe."

Jou's face twisted at the name and his tail twitched, knocking over a nearby vase. Yugi directed a reproachful glare at him, but the other man merely looked annoyed and irritated. "Of all the vain, self-centered idiots I've ever met, he's the worst," he muttered sullenly.

Mai's interest was piqued. "You know Jean Claude?" she asked.

Jou glanced at her, his ruby eyes flickering. "In a way, I do," he said at last, sounding evasive and tense (Mai did not miss the way he flinched the moment he'd spoken—he was likely afraid of retribution from the spell he was under). "Let's just say I've met him once or twice."

Mai sat up with sudden interest. "That's a clue, Jou," she said. "In fact, that just confirmed my suspicions!"

Jou looked hopeful, but Marik snorted derisively. "What, that he's a member of highbrow society?" he asked with a scoff.

Mai grinned. "Actually, yes."

A confused expression flitted across the Enterran's features. "But I was merely joking."

Mai turned to him with growing excitement. "Don't you see? Jou's got to be a noble of some kind. He knows things taught only to royalty, such as the languages in the spell book and the diplomacy argument he used earlier with Yami. He also knows Jean Claude, which _has_ to mean that he's met him before—the prince does not strike me as a man who will speak to commoners on a daily basis."

_My, Ishtar child, you actually helped two royals in one sitting. Such generosity, _said Yami, the barest hint of a taunt in his voice.

Marik bristled and glared at the Puzzle. "I was not aware we were talking to you."

_Come now, Marik. I have as much right to speak as you do—perhaps more so, given your current predicament and your position. Some courtesy in your tone might be nice, _child, _especially considering your current standing with me_.

There was something oddly menacing about Yami's tone now and Mai stiffened when shadows began creeping along the counters; Marik bristled and his hand moved to the dagger at his side. Jou snarled and looked halfway ready to put himself between Mai and Yami.

Despite how preoccupied Yugi was, however, the shorter man had not missed the argument. "Yami, Marik, back down," he ordered sharply. "The last time you two fought nearly tore my shop apart and I won't stand for anything like that happening again."

The shadows instantly faded, and while the tension did not entirely dissipate it did diminish; Marik's hand was on the knife's hilt and Mai could practically feel Yami's angry gaze coming from the puzzle.

There was old history between them, she knew now. She did not know what had happened, but something in the past had happened that had created tension between them. Something occurred to her and she looked back to the Millennium Puzzle. She knew Yami was the soul of an Enterran king…perhaps whatever had transpired between Marik and Yami in the past was a factor in why Marik despised nobility so much.

It had seemed like Marik would have said something further, except at that point a woman's voice came from outside. "Hello?"

Jou instantly moved out of sight of the door and Marik violently flinched. Yugi jumped but grinned, picking up the Millennium Puzzle and carrying it to the counter. He placed it behind a stack of jars and rearranged them so that the Puzzle was out of sight. "I'll get you out later, Yami. _Behave_," he said in a low voice. He turned his attention to the door and called out in a croaking voice, "Come in, child."

The door opened and a young woman slipped inside. She had short brown hair that just barely touched her shoulders; her dress was collared, the fabric a light blue with crème-colored hems, and a pair of small, brown leather sandals completed the outfit. Her blue eyes swept around the room curiously, staying on first Marik then Mai before going to the disguised Yugi. "Hello," she said, looking both relieved and slightly confused. "Who are you?"

"Just an old man looking out for the shop in place of the absent wizards," croaked Yugi in reply. "Is there something I might assist you with?"

"Absent?" asked Téa with a frown. She brushed some hair away from her face and Mai heard a soft jingle as the bracelets on her arms moved. "Did they go out to get more ingredients for potions?"

"I'm afraid not, my child," said Yugi. "They were banished several months ago. An edict went out from the castle and all magic users were banished—Yugi and his grandfather were among those who left."

Téa did not say anything for a long moment, instead crossing the room and passing the others. She leaned on the counter and looked directly at the shorter man. "Oh dear," she said, the beginnings of a mischievous grin spreading across her features. "Well, if that's the case I need two things. Our caravan is in need of a few basic supplies and the town's prices have risen since we left."

"I can negotiate with you for the proper supplies," replied Yugi, and even from here Mai could tell he was fighting the urge to blush. "And what is the second thing you require?"

Téa smirked and then, using her finger, flicked the hood off of Yugi's head. "I need you to remove that silly disguise so I can talk to you directly, Yugi," she said pleasantly, ignoring Yugi's indignant and alarmed squawk.

Mai laughed. "I told you she wouldn't be fooled by that," she said, her laughter increasing at Yugi's flustered features.

Téa glanced at her with a half-curious, half suspicious look. "Who are you?"

"I'm Mai," she said, deciding to omit the fact she was a princess. No need to make this girl uncomfortable and she knew someone else would bring this up eventually. "No worries, honey, I'm not moving in on your boy over there."

The other girl turned pink. "H-He's not my boy," she protested, much to Mai's amusement—it seemed Yugi was not the only one that got flustered if pressed on this particular topic, she noted.

"How did you know it was me, Téa?" asked Yugi, slightly scowling. It seemed that he had not heard the girl's conversation, though he looked confused at Téa's reaction.

The brown-haired girl recovered and then leaned over the counter, grinning at Yugi. "You practiced that disguise countless times before with me, remember?" she teased. "Besides, you forgot to change your eyes all the way, both in shape and color. And there's no way your grandfather would leave the shop in a stranger's hands—he loves this place too much."

Yugi absorbed this statement and then smacked his forehead. "I completely forgot about that," he muttered, running a hand through his bangs tiredly. "I've had a lot going on lately."

"I've heard," said Téa with a frown. "I saw the damage in the forest and I've been hearing things about Kaiba's dragons in uproar and a lot of the forest men being gone at the castle. And then there's the banishment of the wizards…"

She trailed off and stared in surprise at Jou—he had shifted and come fully into view. His hiding space had been too small. "You…who are you…?"

Jou yelped and in a blur of movement leapt over the counter, ducking behind Mai and using her as a human shield. "For the love of God don't attack me and call me a demon!" he said, eyes wide in alarm. "That's already happened twice and I'd rather there not be a third!"

"Relax," said Téa, coming over. "Don't hide from me. I know better than to smack anyone if they're in Yugi's shop—besides, demons or other dark creatures can't get in with Yugi's barrier up, so that means you're in here because he allowed you. He's helping you, isn't he?"

Jou nodded slowly. "Yeah, he is," he replied, brightening. "You aren't going to slap me or anything?"

"Why would I do that?"

In response Jou shot Mai a very pointed look.

"Oh come on, Jou, it was warranted. I didn't punch you just because I thought you were a demon," Mai retorted indignantly. "There were other factors involved and you know it."

"You punched him?" asked Marik, looking surprised. "I didn't think—"

"I keep telling you people that I'm not your typical kind of damsel," Mai said irritably. "The only reason you've not been seeing me beating up on people is because I don't desire becoming a Shadow any time soon."

"Why would you be turned into a Shadow?" asked Téa with a confused frown. "Yugi wouldn't hurt you unless you did something truly terrible to him and even then…but you aren't with Yugi, are you?" she continued with a sigh, noticing the not-so-subtle glance Mai had shot to Marik. "Let me guess: Bakura's holding you prisoner for some reason."

"We're trying to ransom her back, Téa. Don't get yourself involved," Marik said shortly.

"I should," said the brown-haired girl, sounding somewhat indignant. "You can't hold a princess for ransom—and don't tell me she isn't one, because Bakura wouldn't have bothered keeping her for this long."

Mai wondered if the distinct lack of concern from anyone who heard of her plight was a mark of knowing Bakura. She came to the conclusion that it was.

Marik raised an eyebrow. "I could care less of what you think. I'll say it again: don't get involved."

Téa glowered for a few moments, but her expression cleared and she turned her attention back to Yugi. "I need to show you something outside—I found something when we were in the capital city of Thystia, but it was cracked. I was hoping you could fix it. It might even be able to help Yami," she said brightly, tugging on Yugi's hand and practically dragging him out the door.

"She didn't have to do much to get him out the door," said Jou with surprise. "I kept waiting for his arm to come off."

Mai smirked. "Oh believe me, honey, Yugi was a willing victim, and even if his arm _did_ come off I'm betting he'd let her keep it," she said, amusement coloring her voice.

Her eyes shifted to Marik, who was leaning nonchalantly against the wall and carving something into a log (it looked suspiciously like an eagle of sorts). She frowned, her smile fading. He was obviously in the room to make sure she didn't try to escape—not that she would—but even now he was very deliberately not looking at her. Did he really hate her that much?

She cleared her throat. "Marik, I want to ask you a question."

The Enterran said nothing, continuing to whittle at the block of wood.

Mai rose to her feet and moved in front of the man, her hands on her hips. "Marik, I am talking to you," she said testily. "I know you have issues with anyone wearing a crown, but at least show me some common courtesy. Just for one minute. _Please_."

Marik's eyes flicked up to her face and he sighed heavily. "All right, Highness, what do you want?" he asked.

Mai did not hesitate, straightening up and lifting her chin. "Why do you hate royalty so much?"

Marik's annoyance instantly vanished and he stared at her with startled wide eyes; clearly he had not been expecting her to ask such a question. But even as she watched his face darkened and he looked away. "That's not your business."

Mai reached over and snatched the carving out of Marik's hands, scowling and holding her ground even as Marik's angry eyes flew back to her. "I'm making it my business," she said fiercely. "You've been treating me poorly since the day we met and I've had enough. I want to know what happened that caused you to act like this!"

Marik's fists clenched at his sides and he rose to his feet. "It's a free country, Highness," he said coldly, striding towards the door. "I don't answer to anyone."

Mai made to stop him from leaving, but even as she took her first step Jou's tail looped around Marik's body and before the Enterran could react Jou had forced him into a chair and moved in front of the door.

"Mai is asking you a direct question," Jou said sternly. "She deserves to know what she did to anger you."

Marik glowered at both of them. "Quit being so defensive of her, Jou," he said sullenly, but he did not rise from the chair. "She didn't do anything directly to me, by the way."

"So why are you treating me like I did?" she asked. "Marik, did my country do something to you?"

"That's not the case either," said Marik tiredly. "I treat royalty the way I do because…"

"Because something in the past happened between you and a noble?" guessed Jou quietly when Marik did not finish speaking. "Yami's got something to do with it, doesn't he? That's why both of you hate each other."

Mai shot him a startled glance. So she had not been the only one who noticed the way Marik and Yami acted around one another—Jou had seen it too.

The Enterran's defensive features melted away and he looked oddly tired. Mai suddenly got the impression of looking at a young forlorn child, though she could not say why. "Not exactly," he said. "My dislike of royalty and the tension between us coincides, however, because of something that happened in my past."

Marik studied his folded hands for a moment and did not look at them for several long moments. At last he looked back up at them, his expression hardened. "Before I start, I have a question to ask both of you. How much do you know of the Nameless King?"

Mai frowned and shook her head. She'd heard the title once before, but that had been when she was a young girl; her kingdom was often more focused toward entertaining travelers and its people, which left little room for her to learn about the history of any kingdom aside her own.

Jou, on the other hand, raised his hand tentatively. "I know a little of it. I learned about it once when I was younger," he said slowly.

"How much do you remember?" asked Marik.

"…Well…around three thousand years ago a nameless Enterran king ascended the throne, but days after he became king he died mysteriously. According to the texts scholars had, this was because something called 'the Great Evil' had come upon the land and the king had sealed it away by sacrificing his soul," said Jou. "It's never been proven that was the case, though…and I know that some magicians had interest in the story of the Nameless King, but…"

Marik looked mildly impressed. "That's pretty good. You have the basics of the story down pat," he said. "But as far as being proven—well, you've both seen the proof that this story is true with your own eyes."

Mai's frown deepened before she realized what Marik was referring to and her jaw dropped open. "Marik…you're not saying that Yami is the Nameless King, are you?"

"I am. Yugi confirmed it, based on text accounts and pre-existing finds," said Marik sardonically. "The reason magicians are so interested in this account, Jou, is because out of all the Enterran texts out there there's only one account of the Millennium Items being used and where Shadow magic originated from—the story of the Nameless King. There's also a reason that Yami is referred to as 'Nameless King'…according to the texts in my clan's archive, Yami's true name was obliterated from all texts to prevent anyone from resurrecting the Great Evil."

His eyes darkened. "But the story continued from those texts, though it was never recorded in the palace scrolls scholars have found," he continued. "You see, a priestess in the Nameless King's court had a vision shortly after the Nameless King sacrificed himself. She predicted that one day, in an unset time, the Great Evil would return and the Nameless King would destroy it once and for all.

"Of course, this worried all the priests who wielded the Shadow items, as well as the new king. Though they had all combined forces to beat the Evil back, it had been the Nameless King who held the most clout and the one who had ultimately sealed it. The new king eventually decided that, once the time came, three secret clans would be formed to protect the legacy of the Nameless King.

"My clan is one of those original three, founded by the priestess who'd foreseen the Nameless King's return. We were charged with keeping the Tauk and the Rod, as well as preserving the rites needed for the King to regain his memories. The other two clans were responsible for other things regarding the Nameless King—but what they were in charge of was not in the texts we had on hand, so I have no idea what their responsibilities are. In the meantime, all the clans were settled into tombs and catacombs underneath the ground; they had to remain secret, though chosen outsiders could enter the clan."

"How can you give memories back?" asked Mai with a frown. "What, do you store them in a jar or something?"

Marik shrugged. "Good question. I'm not sure myself how this ritual is supposed to work, but supposedly his memories were stored in a place that only the Ishtar clan knew of. Once Yami collected all the Shadow items he was to approach us and receive the location to complete the ritual needed to restore his memory. This was how he would destroy the Great Evil," he replied.

Marik's last sentence, however, held so much pain, anger, and bitterness that Mai visibly flinched. "I'm guessing that this wasn't such a good thing," she commented, leaning back in her seat.

Marik looked at the table, idly tracing a design into the wood with his finger. "At first, my people were able to understand why they were where they were, why only chosen people were allowed into the clan or why certain people were allowed out of the catacombs. We had the Tauk, which could see into the past and future; the Tauk was an item given to the matriarch of the clan, who would wield it to foresee when the King would return or potential disaster that the Ishtar clan might face. It also preserved my people's culture, since it could peer into the past.

"The matriarch of the clan was at first a woman from the clan itself but not an outsider, for the women from the clan held the priestess' blood. Don't look at me like that, there wasn't any incest involved," he snapped, noticing Jou's face twist with disgust. "The Ishtar clan was founded by the priestess herself and she hand chose the women who were to be in the clan, knowing that only they and their daughters could wield the Tauk. It was brilliant, since only the woman entrusted with Tauk could take it off. Even in death only her hand could remove it from her neck.

"Somewhere along the line an outsider married into the clan and the priestess' blood began diluting. By the time my mother married my father no one could use the Tauk any longer and it had been that way for a long time before I was born. Without the Tauk my people began to forget, until finally they were nothing but ignorant sheep. My father's fathers helped none…I'm thoroughly convinced that they warped the clan to begin with, making it so that only the patriarch's family was allowed to read the scrolls. My people did not even remember why we were beneath the ground, only that it had been that way for generations.

"That was what I was born into. My father had become a tyrant, allowing no one to leave or enter and following the traditions he barely understood, but the confinement underground was beginning to drive him mad. My mother was sickly but kind-hearted and loving…I never got to meet her, as she died after she gave birth to me."

Marik's whole face abruptly softened and he began to smile. "Then there were my older siblings. Ishizu was calm, smart, and wise, but she also knew how to make me smile when I was sad. She was also the first Ishtar woman in years who showed true potential to wield the Tauk; because I was an infant at the time and not able to marry, my sister took on the Tauk temporarily. Her power was limited, but as the years passed she started being able to use it more and more. It wasn't enough to avert what was to come, but she was able to catch glimpses of the past and future.

"Rishid was not my real brother. My mother had found him as a baby outside the clan one night and she raised him as her own. He was the first outsider in ten years to enter the clan, and my father _hated_ him. He was loyal, selfless, kind, and he almost never lost his temper, even though my father treated him abominably. When my mother died my father made him into a servant—or at least tried to. My sister and I never saw him as anything less than our brother, and that was that."

Marik gave them a bitter smile. "You could say my hatred started when my tenth birthday came around. Traditionally, the son of the patriarch receives responsibility for the ritual pertaining to the King's memory."

"I fail to see how getting some scroll would cause that much hatred for nobles," said Jou, folding his arms over his chest.

A far too bitter smile graced Marik's features. "Scrolls and stone tablets can be destroyed, fade over time, or be stolen," he said. "No, no. The initiation ceremony entailed carving the ritual—written, by the way, in ancient Enterran—on my back, starting from my shoulders to the small of my back."

Mai felt the color drain from her face and a hand went to her mouth to cover her gasp of horror; Jou paled as well and a strangled snarl of outrage escaped his throat. Ancient Enterran was really nothing but pictures, a complicated yet intricate language to read…and they had carved those rites into a _child_'_s _back?

Marik's eyes closed and he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I tried appealing to him. I tried doing everything I could to avoid the initiation ceremony. I even asked Rishid to take my place, I was that desperate. Since he was older and he actually _wanted _to, Rishid would have been perfect."

"But he couldn't," said Mai, noticing the way Marik's face twisted. "Rishid was older, but he was an adopted child. That's something common when it comes to inheritance—birth children are the ones who receive things usually. I'm guessing that your birth interfered with Rishid's chances of being initiated."

"I was born two days before Rishid's tenth birthday," Marik confirmed hollowly. "My father insisted on following tradition, and against my will he performed it…he…"

His voice shook and trailed off, at a loss. His eyes darkened, his shoulders hunched and trembled, and his fist was clenched so hard Mai saw a thin trickle of blood beginning to seep out of his hand. He was remembering it, she realized, and she hesitated before she reached out and gently shook Marik's shoulder. The Enterran violently jumped and nearly fell out of the seat.

"You don't have to keep going," she said quietly. "If this is why you hate royalty so much, I understand. You and your people were forced into a life by a king that's long since dead, forced to follow meaningless traditions to wait for a king that would likely never find you…it's no wonder you hate anyone wearing a crown or calling themselves nobles."

Marik looked slightly grateful but offered her a small, sad smile. "It's a large part of it, but it's not the entire reason," he said. "Thank you, though."

His smile faded again and he closed his eyes. "I was angry and bitter over the whole incident. I hated my father and my clan, I even hated my older siblings for a short time…and ultimately, I decided that I would find a way to break those rules in retaliation for what happened.

"All I wanted was to see the outside world. Just for one hour, I wanted to see the sun, the clouds, the desert…the people beyond the catacombs…I only wanted to spend one hour out of the darkness. It wasn't unreasonable, I thought, and so I went to work.

"…Rishid would do anything I asked him to, and both of us knew that. And over the next two years, I wore my sister down enough to convince her to sneak me out. She couldn't foresee anything of danger with the Tauk, so I thought it would be safe. I would pretend to be sick the night before we were to go out, and Rishid was to watch a pile of blankets that was me while my sister and I explored the village outside."

Mai repressed the urge to shake her head. She did not have to be a genius to know that there were so many ways for that plan to go wrong, and one look at Marik's dejected countenance told her it had. "Marik…"

"I was twelve. I didn't think it would backfire the way it did, I didn't think that my plan could go wrong…honestly, I just didn't _think_," Marik said, guilt plainly written on his features. "I shouldn't have even thought of such a stupid idea, but I was so angry and desperate that I went through with it."

Marik fell silent, and Mai and Jou waited patiently for him to continue.

"That one hour of freedom is honestly one of the best memories of my childhood I have," said Marik at last. "My sister and I walked through the marketplace and saw the people, the sun, the sky…everything was new and wonderful, and I was never happier. But we also knew better than to push our luck, so my sister and I left early to return to the tomb. On our way out we passed some noble that was richly dressed and was shopping in the bazaar. He watched us leave, but we were in such a hurry that it didn't occur to us that there should be something wrong.

Marik's whole face darkened, but this time he was angry. "My father was paranoid. He feared losing control over his people, so he booby trapped the entrance to alert him if someone left—and when we left, we unknowingly set it off. He knew _exactly _where to go once the alarm went off."

Jou growled, his eyes alight once again. "He went to your room."

"He did," Marik replied, fury and pain crossing his face. "By the time my sister and I got back my father had nearly killed Rishid out of rage. It wasn't even my brother's fault that I was gone, but my father wanted me to learn a lesson in humility.

"My father had dragged Rishid into the room where we kept the Millennium Rod to punish him and when my sister and I entered the room we were walking on blood. When I saw what was happening I was so angry and guilty and frightened…and then my father saw us and advanced on us. He struck Ishizu and knocked her into the wall before he turned his attention to me."

He trailed off, shaking his head and looking at the table. "My memory blurs here," he said, his voice low and troubled. "I don't know what happened next. I've tried so hard to remember, but it's no use. The last coherent memory I have of that moment is reaching for the Rod. I was scared for my sister and Rishid, and I was so desperate to protect them from my father's wrath—yet at the same time, I was furious with my father for all he'd done and angry with the Nameless King who'd ultimately brought a fate I didn't want on my head.

"…The next thing I remember is looking down at my hands and realizing that they're coated in my father's blood. My siblings were unconscious, the Rod was gone, my father was dead, and I was covered in his blood."

Mai paled as the full impact of his words sunk in and the hairs on the back of her neck rose. "You killed your father."

"It's the only conclusion I can come to," Marik said hollowly. "If there was something either of my siblings knew about that moment, I never got the chance to ask."

"Why not? I'd think that a pressing question," said Jou, his voice a growl. "In fact, I would think that the first question you'd ask."

Marik's face twisted and he gave Jou a bitter smile. "Ah, but I never got to. Remember that richly dressed man that I told you of? The one my sister and I passed on our way back?"

They both nodded slowly and Mai felt something close to understanding begin to grow at the back of her mind. She had an inkling of what Marik was about to say, but she could not put her finger on what it was just yet.

"That man was looking for a slave in the marketplace when he'd spotted my sister and I," Marik continued, his voice furiously bitter. "We stood out in the crowd. We both were tan, but certainly not as dark as our countrymen, and my features alone drew his eyes. What better way to impress his fellow nobles than to have someone like me among his servants?"

The realization hit her full force as she remembered Marik's angry words from the argument yesterday: "_How have you wronged me? How about your society, Highness? All of you, always trying to get the edge over each other…you don't care about whose lives you ruin, just as long as you get what you want and as long as you have something that no one else has!"_

"He followed you back to the catacombs, didn't he?" Mai asked gently, already knowing the answer.

Marik nodded tightly. "My siblings had no sooner revived when that prince and his men came to enslave us all," he said, his fist clenching again. "My brother and sister ushered me down a seldom used tunnel and we escaped just as pandemonium broke out in the catacombs, but Rishid was badly hurt and we didn't get too far away."

Marik's head lowered. "Ryou and Bakura had been traveling through Enterra to meet with Ryou's father, a scholar in Kairas, when we ran into them that night," he said in a barely audible but anguished voice. "Rishid and Ishizu pulled Bakura aside and spoke to him briefly before they told me that they needed to go cover our tracks, as we were still being pursued. They left then…I should have known what they were really going to do, the signs were obvious, but at the time I was scared and disoriented and I…"

Mai could not explain how she knew, but she took one look at Marik and she suddenly understood. "They used themselves as bait and lured the men away, to keep anyone from finding you," she said softly.

Marik barely nodded, his eyes far too bright. "I didn't figure it out until it was too late," he replied miserably. "By the time I realized what happened my siblings were long gone. Rishid had made a deal with Bakura, though, that ensured I would remain safe—I would aid Bakura in whatever he did, whether it was robbing the tombs of ancient kings or attacking caravans. In return, Bakura would make sure I was not captured until I was reunited with them."

He sighed, then spread his arms out wide. "And there you have it. The tragedy of the Ishtar clan in ten minutes—ta da," he proclaimed, his voice once again bitter.

Silence fell after Marik spoke and Mai found herself gazing into the nearby fire. What could she say to him that would make Marik see that she was not like the nobles who had done so much harm? She could not counter the damage done to Marik or his people by some long-dead king, she could not go back in time and prevent the nobleman from invading the catacombs where Marik had lived, and she especially could not bring back the siblings Marik had lost that day because of a noble.

Now granted, a portion of this _was_ Marik's fault and it could be that he was unfairly lashing out at royalty to make himself feel better, but then again he had been just a child; he had not known better and had been angry. Judging by the guilt clearly written across Marik's face and the way his shoulders were slumped dejectedly, she knew Marik understood that. It could very well be that Marik also blamed Yami for what happened—which was why the tension between them were so high. And if that were the case, it might explain why Marik was so unreasonably prejudiced against anyone wearing a crown…after all, if he associated any behavior from the nobles he encountered with Yami's it would mean he was automatically hostile to them.

So what could she do to assuage that anger? Money would not work, nor would promise of power or glory…no, all he really wanted was just one thing.

Mai mulled over her response for a few minutes before locking eyes with Marik. "What do your siblings look like?"

Marik started, coming out of whatever thoughts he had been in to gaze back at her incredulously. "What?"

"Your brother and sister. What do they look like?" she asked again. "Look, you're obviously trying to find them. I'm in a position where I can ask about your siblings and even free them, if need be. When I get back to the castle I'll do both of these things for you and even make sure they make it back to you, but only if you do one thing for me."

Marik scowled. "Were you even listening to my story? I told you before I don't—"

"I'm not going to make you my servant or anything like that," she cut over him, correctly guessing what he was going to say. "It's barely anything, I promise."

Marik looked skeptical but motioned for her to continue.

"All I want you to do is treat me with a little respect," she said calmly. "It doesn't have to be much, mind you, but just enough so that I know you're trying. I am not like the royals you've encountered and I want a chance to prove that to you, but I can't do that if you're actively provoking me and if you won't give me a chance."

"Believe it, Marik," said Jou seriously, noting the disbelief etched on the Enterran's features. "I trust her whole-heartedly, and any promise she makes is one she keeps. You trust me, right?"

"Not in the slightest," retorted Marik flatly. "I still have no idea who you are in relation to her…actually, I have no idea who you are at all."

Even so, Marik studied her for a few minutes to see if she would waver or look away. When she kept her eyes locked on him he leaned back with an air of resignation. "You're going to keep pestering me until I talk, aren't you?"

"Pretty much. Right now I'm being rational, but believe me I can get a lot worse," she replied cheerfully. "You don't want to see me as the whiny spoiled princess you keep thinking I am—I almost caused a war once by simply nagging a prince I didn't like."

Marik made a face. "Oh Heaven forbid," he retorted sardonically, but he relaxed and his fists uncurled. There was something close to hope barely visible on his face as he looked back at her. "You're…being serious?"

"Obviously, honey," she reassured him. "I wouldn't be nearly so cruel as to promise you something like this and then not deliver."

"…Rishid has scars down the left side of his face and is shaved bald except for a ponytail at the back of his head. The scars are in ancient Enterran—he did that to himself to support me," he continued, noticing both Jou's and Mai's horrified looks. "I told you he was selfless. Since he couldn't do it in place of me he did his own initiation ceremony. Believe me, my father was furious over it, but there wasn't anything he could do and we all knew it."

"Okay…and your sister?"

"Ishizu does not stand out as much as Rishid, though she is not as tan as other Enterrans, but she's got the Tauk still around her neck and she'll be with Rishid. That's how you'll know it's her."

"I don't mean to be a downer, Marik, but how do you even know that she's with your brother?" asked Mai doubtfully. "For all you know they could have been separated after being captured."

"No," Marik said with such conviction that it startled her. "Ishizu is with Rishid. I'm willing to bet my life on it—Rishid would have never allowed them to separate him from Ishizu, and the same goes for my sister. Find one and you'll find the other not far behind."

"What about your twin brother?" asked Jou. "You haven't even mentioned him."

"I don't have one," said Marik flatly, though he looked worried. "Really, there's only one person in the world that has the same features as I do and I can assure you that he wasn't the one who Kaiba saw."

"And you're sure of that?" asked Mai. "Can you truly say that with confidence?"

"I know it's true because, unless someone knows otherwise, I killed that man with my own hands," replied Marik. "I take after my father in appearance, after all."

Mai winced. That was one way of establishing an alibi.

"There's one more question I've got to ask," said Jou. "You still haven't explained why Yami doesn't like you. I mean, I know he's the Nameless King and he's likely angry over the noble attacking your clan—"

Marik snorted, looking irritable. "He doesn't care about that part of the story, Jou," he retorted. "Yami and I don't get along for three reasons. One is because I've allied myself with Bakura, and another is because I rob the tombs of the dead Enterran kings. That's something unavoidable and I can't change that fact until I find Rishid and Ishizu again."

"And the last reason?"

"The last reason is the part of the story that Yami _really_ cares about: the loss of the Millennium Rod and the Millennium Tauk."

"Maybe that noble took them to sell or hold in his treasury," Mai suggested. "It doesn't sound like he's a wizard or anything like that."

The Enterran shook his head. "Remember, the Tauk can't be removed unless Ishizu herself takes it off, and my sister would not willingly hand that over. The Rod, however, vanished _before_ the noble's men broke in."

Mai started. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. I remember looking for it briefly after I regained my bearings, as the last coherent memory I had before my father's death was reaching for the Rod. It was gone."

"But it couldn't have grown legs and walked away," Mai pointed out.

Marik let out a dark laugh. "At the top of the Rod were projections that I always thought looked like wings. A part of me wonders if it didn't fly off somewhere," he said. "It's not like I had the luxury of looking for the blasted thing, anyways."

He went quiet again, but the silence did not last as long as it had before. When he next spoke his words were directly addressing Mai and there was an almost desperate edge to his words. "You're really serious…you will look for my siblings?"

Mai held out her hand. "You have my word, Marik. Just trust me on this, all right?"

"…I don't have much of an option, then," he replied tiredly. "All right, Highness—I'll put my faith in royalty one last time, and I'll try to be more respectful. Don't expect miracles, though," he added. "I still think anyone with a crown is nothing but a shallow idiot."

"Then I've got my work cut out for me," she said brightly. "I love a challenge as much as the next person."

The shop door opened and then Yugi peered in at them. "Hey guys, come on out! The caravan could use some help unloading supplies and they're trading a few things for items in my shop," he said cheerfully. "Customers for the first time in an age, that'll make Grandpa happy."

Mai had the sudden impression that Yugi had been waiting just outside the door for Marik to finish, and this suspicion was only furthered by Yugi's abrupt entrance. She rose to her feet and followed after Jou and Marik, but before she could exit Yugi caught her arm. "I wanted to show you something here behind the counter. I had a thought about breaking that memory spell on you. Jou, Marik, go on outside, she'll be out in a bit."

The other two glanced at Mai and Yugi curiously but left, and from outside she could hear startled gasps from the people—likely it was because of Jou's appearance, and sure enough she heard Jou let out an exasperated, "Oh for crying out loud I'm not a demon!"

"What did you want to show me, Yugi?" Mai asked, but then jumped when she realized she was not talking to Yugi. The wizard had pulled on the Millennium Puzzle when she hadn't been looking and she found she was speaking to Yami.

"I remained silent while the Ishtar child spoke with you," said Yami quietly. "I do not need to add on to his story and it is not my place to speak out. While it is true I am angered about the loss of the items, however, the fate of his clan is not one I am fond of. I would have never allowed it to happen had I been there three thousand years ago. Understand that, first and foremost."

Mai nodded slowly. If Yami was in fact the Nameless King that meant the decision about the three clans had not been his—it had been made after his death.

"You must also understand something else, maiden," he continued sternly. "Yugi was indeed listening to your conversation, though he came in at the tail end of it, and he worries about the promise you just made. Maiden, should you rescind on your word Marik will likely never trust anyone wearing a crown again and it will be a blow that Marik may never truly recover from."

"Are you worried that he won't let you read his back to find your memories, if that's the case?" she asked testily.

Yami raised an eyebrow. "I have mentioned you were astute. That is, however, only a small portion of it. The ritual on his back will not go anywhere and one day I will see about reading it—but as it is Marik's decision to show me and one that may be a blow to his pride, I shall be patient and wait," he said calmly. "No, I only point this out to you because Yugi is friends with Marik and he does not wish to see him betrayed."

"You care for Yugi a good deal, I notice," she remarked.

"Of course. He has defended me and aided me without price, even at a time when my less-than-exemplary behavior almost caused his expulsion from this place. I owe him a good deal, which is why I protect him," replied Yami nonchalantly. "And what of you? What is your response to my inquiry?"

"You didn't directly ask me anything," she grumbled after a moment. "But neither of you need to worry. I've never broken a promise before and I won't start now."

Yami chuckled. "A bold statement, but an honest one. Very well, maiden—we are reassured."

So saying Yami's posture shifted and the next second Mai was looking at Yugi once more. He had changed back so quickly Mai had not even realized it had happened until Yugi said brightly, "Go on outside, Highness. I need to go check on Valon and make sure his ribs are healing properly."

Jou was waiting for her when she stepped outside and he waited patiently as she shielded her eyes against the sunlight; she'd been indoors all day and the brightness of the day outside had caused her to stagger backwards. "What did Yugi show you?"

"Nothing that you need to worry about, Jou," she said with a smile. Her eyes went to the wagons just beyond the fence, numbering four in total, and she looked to Jou expectantly. "Now what do I need to do?"

"Oh no, Mai, you don't need to do anything," called Téa from the back of a nearby wagon, hopping out nimbly.

"I won't take that for an answer. I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty," she replied. "I need something to do besides twiddling my thumbs uselessly."

"You'll find she's not like other princesses, Mai," said Jou with a grin, noticing Téa's startled features. "She can handle it, no worries."

"Well…I could use some help with this," she said, pointing to several trunks on the ground that had fallen open. Clothing and other items were scattered across the grass. "They got knocked off when we were pulling the wagons around."

Mai fell to picking up the scattered clothing and replacing them back in the trunk, taking care to dust off everything before placing the object back inside; Jou and Marik moved to what appeared to be a food-laden wagon and were carrying barrels inside the inn, and Yugi came back outside minutes later to speak to an elderly man nearby.

It was not until the wagons had been nearly reloaded with the proper supplies when Jou heard the sound of galloping horses coming, and by the time they finished re-stocking the wagons Bakura and Ryou had returned. Mai brushed the dirt from her skirt and rose to her feet. "So how did it go with Kaiba?" she asked.

Bakura ignored her and went inside the inn. Rolling her eyes, Mai then turned her attention to Ryou. "Are you going to answer me?"

Ryou looked up at the sky distractedly. "Everything went smoothly, but…where's Yugi?" he asked, looking back at her. He noticed Téa peering at him from inside a wagon and he did a double take. "I didn't know she was in the area…odd."

"Why do you need to find Yugi?"

Ryou did not get the chance to reply to her—Yugi had spotted him from across the clearing and was coming over to investigate. "Hello, Ryou!" he called.

"Er…hi," replied Ryou uncomfortably.

Yugi blinked, frowning when he noticed Ryou's discomfort. "What's wrong? Did things not go well with Kaiba?"

"Oh no," said Ryou reassuringly. "Everything was fine. Kaiba agreed to meet us here, but…ah. Yugi, remember when you warned us about springing surprises on you?"

"Yes, I remember."

"And remember how you told us never to spring said surprises on you when you've got customers nearby?"

"…Ryou, I don't like where this conversation is going."

Marik and Jou spotted Ryou and the two of them came over to find out what was going on. Mai noticed that Ryou was looking incredibly sheepish and uncomfortable, while Yugi had the beginnings of annoyance on his face.

"What's going on?" asked Marik. "Ryou, is Kaiba coming?"

Jou abruptly stiffened, his ruby eyes swiveling to the sky above. His pupils contracted into cat-like slits and a low growl rumbled through his throat. Mai put a hand on his shoulder, concerned by the sudden shift in behavior.

"I'm dreadfully sorry, Yugi, but he changed the meeting time on us. It was the only way he'd agree to meet here instead of the lair," said Ryou quickly. "He's coming early."

Yugi stared. "How early is he coming, Ryou?"

A shadow from overhead was the only warning they had before the dragon descended through the trees, landing on the ground and causing the earth to quake. Its wings flapped hard to balance it after landing so suddenly and the force of the wind nearly knocked Mai over; Jou steadied her with an arm and pulled her to his side to keep her upright, but he did not stop growling and was watching the scene with narrowed eyes.

The dragon lowered its body, but Mai did not understand why until she saw Kaiba and Mokuba smoothly dismount; Kaiba was gingerly holding a bundle in his arms, very much the same way a shepherd would carry a lamb, and she realized that he was carrying the wounded dragon kit.

Ryou had the grace to look sheepish. "Ridiculously so."


	20. The Dragon's Attack

_*sweatdrop*_

_So...it's not a week like I promised. But at least it's in the same month, right? To make up for the delay I made this installment a bit longer than normal. Besides, you guys are clamoring for some action and plot advancement, no?_

_Warning: there is a bit of graphic injury described in this chapter. I tried to find a nice way of doing it, but then I gave up. Just be ready, okay?_

* * *

><p>The horses with the caravan instantly panicked at the sight of the dragon and began tugging at their harnesses, desperate to escape the creature watching them and nearly tipping the wagons. Panicked whinnies and the soothing voices of those nearest them that tried to calm the animals down soon filled the clearing, but although Mokuba looked startled Kaiba and the dragon did not. This was something they were clearly used to.<p>

Mai had not yet seen Kaiba up close, as the last she'd seen of him was when he and his dragon had been attacking her last night, but now that he was on the ground she found that—like the dragons in his care—he was daunting to look at. He wore a black shirt whose collar hugged his throat and black pants that were tucked into black leather boots; silver armguards that rose to his elbows held the sleeves of his shirt in place. The long white cloak he wore over this outfit was caught as a sudden burst of wind flew through the clearing and it flared out, giving her the impression of dragon wings—something deliberate, she was certain. He gave no indication of being bothered by the commotion he'd caused; he might as well have been made of stone.

Kaiba was not the only one undisturbed by the cacophony of noise. Marik and Jou were watching Kaiba with identical expressions of suspicion, neither of them leaving Mai's side. Ryou and Yugi were looking around at the chaos with alarmed expressions and fell to helping those in the caravan, but Mai noticed that a pool of shadows lingered where Yugi had been standing. Seconds later they rose, twisting into the air and forming into a body—Yami was coming out of the Millennium Puzzle, she realized.

As he came into view it occurred to her that Yami looked far more solid than he had the other times he had formed his own body; the only things on Yami that were hidden by a small gathering of shadows were his hands and feet, and he was only the slightest bit transparent. On his forehead shone that strange eye that was on the front of the Millennium Puzzle.

Like Kaiba, Yami was barely bothered by the chaos that surrounded him. His crimson eyes moved from Kaiba to Mokuba, lingering briefly on the bundle in Kaiba's arms before turning his attention to Kaiba. A smile spread across his features, but it was one that did not entirely reach Yami's eyes.

"Welcome, Kaiba," he said, spreading his arms in a solicitous manner. "I am _so_ very glad you could make it here. The thief's vessel had mentioned you would give him a head start, but it seems Kisara is still the fastest of your dragons."

The larger dragon's eyes were riveted on Yami and its fangs bared, a warning growl deep in its throat.

"Come, come, Kisara, no need to resort to threats. I would not _dream_ of harming either your masters or your precious kit," responded Yami gracefully. "As long as your master remains civil I see no need to intervene in Bakura's favor. Besides, though we might have our differences today is not the day to settle them. Another time, perhaps, but not now."

The dragon—Kisara—snarled but made no move toward Yami.

"I am glad you see reason," said Yami, tipping his head to her.

"Can dragons talk?" Mai asked softly, more to herself than anyone else.

Jou had heard her and nodded. "It's really basic sometimes, but dragons have their own language. The White Dragons in particular seem to have a really good grasp on speaking. Figured it out earlier, when I was dealing with them."

"Kaiba's family also has been taught for decades how to speak to the dragons and how to understand them," Ryou continued. "It's quite remarkable, really, as no one is really sure how to learn such things and Kaiba won't tell anyone how to do it. Yami and Bakura seem to understand them…but then again, they aren't fully human."

Yami suddenly disappeared from view and reappeared behind Kaiba in a burst of shadow. Mokuba jumped violently and staggered backwards, but Kaiba remained impassive. "Do not be so shy, Kaiba," Yami said, gesturing to Mai and the others. "Come forward—none of them have the bite or clout that your dragon carries. Or is it that you desire to remain in the safety of your dragon's shadow?"

"Says the man who relies on the power of a mage's apprentice to manifest and who fears the dark?" retorted Kaiba coolly. There was the briefest hint of a taunt in his voice.

Yami had no visible reaction, but they all noticed the clearing become the slightest bit darker and the wind picked up.

Mai watched as Kaiba strode to a patch of grass and gently set the bundle he was carrying onto it. She heard a whimpering mewl come from the interior of the blanket and her earlier thoughts about this being the dragon kit were confirmed.

Kaiba's eyes swept back up to them, moving from one person to the next; Mai was aware that the horses had calmed down and were being controlled, though it was with effort, and Ryou and Yugi rejoined the small group in front of Kaiba. His gaze lingered on Jou and he smirked, causing the other to stiffen and the volume of his growls increased.

Kisara's head picked up and her own warning growl grew in volume.

"So this is the mongrel dragon," Kaiba said, sneering at Jou. "Mongrel is an appropriate term, after all. I owe an apology, Kisara—I had thought I misinterpreted you, but I should not have doubted your words."

"Jou isn't a dragon, Kaiba," Yugi said with a placating voice at the same time that Jou snarled.

Kaiba snorted derisively. "I can see that. He's not even human, is he?" he asked. "Neither dragon nor human—a true mongrel indeed."

Jou's ruby eyes were lit with malice. "Come over here and say that again, Dragon Boy," he growled, starting forward. Yugi and Mai both had to grab him to stop Jou from attacking Kaiba. Jou barely seemed to notice, his eyes burning holes into the other man. "What, you too afraid to get closer to me?"

Kaiba looked bored. "I don't have time to pick fights with idiots," he replied coolly. His eyes went to Ryou and hardened; the white-haired man stiffened with surprise, which was replaced with discomfort seconds later. "I didn't come here to play games with a mongrel," he continued. "Where's Bakura?"

Something was dropped over Mai's head and she barely caught it; a glance downward revealed that it was a goatskin, and she recognized it as one of the two Marik had been holding the healing water in. Even as she registered this fact Bakura stepped out in front of her and bowed mockingly to Kaiba.

"I'm here," said Bakura lazily, glancing at Mai. "Any time you are ready to start would be good, as I do have other things to attend to."

Mai was not certain why everyone was suddenly staring at her and she looked around at each of the men, trying to gauge the reason they were looking to her. Then it hit her that Bakura had been addressing her with the last sentence and not Kaiba.

"Are you _insane_?" she hissed in a whisper. "I am _not_ going anywhere near Kaiba's dragon!"

Bakura turned to look at her. "Look at it this way. Kaiba trusts no one in my company, Kisara doesn't like your own dragon friend, and Yugi is a mediator not meant to get involved. Besides, it was _your_ idea."

"My idea, yes, but do you see how angry that dragon is?"

"You've had no reason to get on Kaiba's bad side," said Ryou reassuringly. "Kisara won't trust you, certainly, but she'll hold back on attacking you."

Marik grimaced. "Then again, though, she did slap Mokuba."

"He called me a hag, a witch, and an ugly old lady. It was warranted," she replied defensively when several pairs of wide eyes swiveled to her.

Bakura rolled his eyes and then pushed her forward with a hard shove, managing to get her a good distance away from the group. "Get on with it, woman," he said irritably.

Mai regained her balance and glared back at the thief, but she did not try to go back; she sensed that it would do her no good. She looked ahead to where Kaiba, his brother, and the dragon were gathered and, after taking a shaky breath to compose herself, strode forward. She kept her head high and ignored the hammering heartbeat in her chest.

Mokuba scowled at her when she got closer. "It's you," he spat angrily. "Why are you the one doing this?"

Mai paused, looking down at him. "Who were you expecting, exactly?" she replied testily. "Look, kid, I'd rather not be the one doing this, but I'm the lesser of two evils and you're going to have to deal with me for a bit…unless you want Bakura near your kit?"

Kaiba's eyes locked onto her and the glare he gave her was just as menacing as his dragon's. "I'm aware of your altercation with my little brother at the river. The only reason I don't retaliate is because of your role in this bargain," he said in a low voice, nearly identical to Kisara's growls. "Even so, that is but a flimsy reason I don't take action—I warn you now that if you _ever_ strike him again I will return it tenfold."

Mai managed not to flinch, but a chill went down her spine nonetheless. She had no doubts as to what Kaiba was capable of—she'd seen what his dragons could do. "I will take note of that," she replied, just barely controlling her voice and willing it not to waver.

He glared at her but gestured to the kit lying on the grass. "Get to it, then," he said brusquely.

Mai repressed the urge to scowl and instead stormed to where the kit was lying. Ohhh, if he only knew he was dealing with a princess, maybe he wouldn't order her around or threaten her…but at the same time this thought was processed she also figured that Kaiba would not even be remotely intimidated by anyone.

As she got closer to it, however, her footsteps slowed and became softer with each step. She had not even untangled the baby dragon from the deerskin blanket yet, but from here she could hear the stifled, sobbing whimpers from the bundle on the ground. By the time she reached it she was barely moving, gingerly sitting down at its side. She hesitated, glancing at the people looking at her before she took a steadying breath and moving the blanket slowly off the kit.

It was the size of a young lamb, lying limply on its side and breathing shallowly. The scales she could see were a darker shade than its mother's, but her eyes had been instantly drawn to the bandages and the odor of infection that rose the moment the blanket had been peeled back. She gagged and leaned back, a hand going to her mouth to cover her gasp; she ended up maintaining her composure, but she also resolved to breathe through her mouth. Good God, how badly had this baby been hurt?

She paused and looked to Kaiba. "Can I take the bandages off?" she asked. "I don't know if this will work if it hits the bandages first."

Kaiba glanced to Mokuba and tipped his head toward Mai; Mokuba nodded and moved lightly, his feet barely rustling the grass. He knelt beside her and, without looking, gingerly lifted the kit onto its stomach and moved his forearm under the kit's front legs. He took care not to jostle it in the slightest as he carefully undid the bandages around the dragon's side, grimacing as the full stench of infection hit the air. Once Mokuba was finished he laid the kit back down on the blanket, hovering nearby; it was evident he still did not trust her.

But Mai did not notice this. She did not see anything but the baby dragon.

Mai was not known for being soft or a crybaby. The last time she'd cried in front of anyone beside Vivian had been when she was ten; even if she felt absolutely terrible, even if her heart ached so much that it almost stopped her breath, she _never_ cried in front of anyone.

But as she looked down at the dragon kit a wave of revulsion, pity, and anger rolled so powerfully through her that she had to look away, tears already welling in her eyes.

The entire side of the kit's body was nothing but a foul mess of pus and drying blood, the garish wounds stretching from the base of its tail and ending just below its chin. What Mai could see underneath the coating of the ghastly film was flesh whose color was a combination of mottled bruising and an inflamed red; there were staggered, slightly curved lines going all the way down its side filled with dark green pus and it took Mai a moment to realize that these lines were where its scales had once been. Now she understood why Kaiba had been so angry with Bakura.

_Oh you poor baby…_

Her grip on the goatskin tightened and with shaking hands she loosened the cap. Could she really heal this? The healing water had absolved Jou's wounds when he'd been hurt by Dragon's Bane and she'd had her own injuries taken care of, but this…this trauma to such a small little baby…

She set her jaw. She would not find out if the water would work by delaying any longer. Mai eyed the wound and then held out the goatskin over the kit, beginning to pour small amount from the goatskin on its shoulder.

There was an unnatural shriek and the kit came to life, its eyes shooting open as it started squealing in terror and pain. Mai jumped and Mokuba started as well, both caught off guard; Kaiba's eyes flashed in anger and he too took a step forward. The child leaned over seconds later with his eyes blazing. "What did you do?"

Mai held up her hands helplessly. "I don't know!" she replied, glancing at the goatskin in alarm. What had gone wrong? Was the healing water poisonous to the White Dragons? No, that could not be it…perhaps she'd poured it wrong. The kit must have been sensitive to touch and the way she'd poured the water must have felt like a slap on its raw skin.

Over the sound of the kit's shrieks of pain came a furious roar, and Mai had a split second impression of something silver rushing toward her—Kisara had reacted to the baby's cries and she was lunging at them with her jaws wide open, clearly intending to attack and destroy the threat. From behind her came several alarmed shouts from the people in the caravan.

Mai reached for a stunned looking Mokuba, grabbed him by the elbow, and shoved him violently behind her, all the while making sure that she did not spill the goatskin with the precious water in it. Mokuba was just a kid, he didn't deserve being bitten in half—

A wall of shadow immediately moved in front of her, blocking her view. She whirled around to see what had caused it and found Yami with his hand outstretched and Yugi pointing his staff. The two of them were simultaneously pushing Kisara back with magic and herding her toward the trees, away from Mai and Mokuba; the dragon tried to move past it to attack them, but Yami looked unperturbed and kept pushing her back with shadows.

They were not the only ones involved. Marik had come from nowhere and had put himself in front of Mai. Jou had taken off the moment Kisara had lunged and had pinned the dragon's jaws closed, flapping his wings to continue driving her backwards. He was having a hard time of it, since he was not a full-fledged dragon at that moment and Kisara was much stronger than he was, but it did not deter him in the slightest.

"I don't care if that's your kit, Mai didn't do it on purpose!" he snarled, eyes blazing. "Lay off!"

Kaiba had not moved in the slightest when Kisara had lunged, in fact remaining motionless and studying the situation intently. Mai had a fleeting thought that perhaps he would not call off the attacking dragon. Then he strode forward until he was directly in front of the feud, not looking back at anyone. "Enough, Kisara," he said.

Mai honestly wanted to laugh. He had not even raised his voice; he had spoken to the raging dragon as he would to Mai. That was not going to stop a bloodthirsty—

She stared in disbelief as Kisara jerked, her struggles ceasing almost immediately as her eyes landed on Kaiba. Her eyes were still glowing in wrath, but the fight left her and she started lowering herself to the ground. At the last minute she tossed her head sharply, dislodging Jou and sending him into a tree.

Jou yelped and spluttered indignantly as he tried to disentangle himself from the tree branches, a stream of colorful curses escaping through the branches and the leaves; Mai was not sure whether she wanted to laugh or groan as Jou tumbled out of the tree and hit the ground cursing loudly. He sat there for a long moment before gingerly rising to his feet, muttering and limping to a spot a good distance away, far enough to avoid provoking Kisara but close enough to be able to defend Mai if need be.

Mokuba was staring at the man with wide eyes. "I've never seen anyone manhandle Kisara like that," he said, stunned.

"Hang around Jou for a while. He'll surprise you," Mai replied, grinning a bit and feeling relieved when she noticed that he was, for the most part, uninjured. She sobered and asked, "You okay?"

Mokuba nodded, his eyes going back to her. "Kisara wouldn't have attacked me. She was going for you…but even so, you pushed me out of the way. I thought you didn't like me."

"I don't, really," she said bluntly. "You called me a hag, a witch, and ugly all in the same breath. It was out of instinct, kid. Besides, I didn't want your brother coming after me because I let you get bitten in half. And Marik, I'm surprised, you came to help too," she continued, grinning at the Enterran.

Marik promptly scowled and looked away. "I was going to come here earlier—I still have the other goatskin with the healing water in it, remember?"

"So you put yourself in front of a raging dragon to do that?" she asked teasingly.

Marik's scowl deepened and he irritably shoved the pouch into her hands, stalking back and muttering all the way back to where Yugi and his friends were gathered; she turned to watch him go and noticed with some surprise that Valon was now outside and talking to Téa, likely trying to find out what was going on.

Mai's smile faded as she returned her attention to the wounded kit, feeling utterly miserable when her gaze landed on the area where she had poured the water. Although the water had cleaned off the blood and pus it had done nothing else. The kit was breathing in shallow panting whines, still aching from where Mai had poured the water.

Her shoulders slumped dejectedly and she looked back to Mokuba, who had seen the same thing she had and looked just as wretchedly upset as Mai was feeling; the child turned away and avoided looking at anyone. A glance to Kaiba revealed that his shoulders had slumped for just the briefest of seconds and his eyes had darkened, but after noting Mai looking at him his stoic expression returned. From behind her she heard a soft and dismayed, "Oh no" from Ryou.

The water had not worked. The kit was going to die.

She shifted her gaze back to the baby and hesitantly stroked its head with a feather light touch, trying not to cry. _Oh honey, I'm so sorry I couldn't fix this…_

Sadly, she pulled her hand back and reached for the stopper to the goatskin. She could not help the baby, she knew now. Even before she had encountered the dragons for herself she had heard tales of the White Dragons being resistant to magic or to potions; this really should not have come as such a surprise.

She found the cap, but as she prepared to get to her feet her eyes went one last time to the area the water had touched. The staggered lines were no longer green and darker than she remembered, but that was probably because she was upset.

No. No, wait…that was not it at all.

Mai's gaze locked on the dark lines that were ever so slowly growing darker by the second and coming to points and it took her a moment to realize what she was looking at. Her breath caught and when she finally released her breath it came out as a shaky gasp.

The dark blue lines began slowly fanning out into spade-shaped scales, elongating and widening all at once as they inched their way along the dragon's shoulder. The flesh surrounding these scales was gradually lightening, the ugly colors fading away to an almost pale, washed out pink.

The water had worked after all, though it was delayed because of the toughness of the dragon itself. She uncapped the goatskin again and, after laying it flush with the kit's uninjured side, slowly lifted it so that the water came out as a gradual stream. She began pouring it all along the dragon's mutilated side, making sure the water touched every part of the gaping wound; she did not care how much water went on each area, instead focusing on getting the water all over so that every area of the wound was covered by at least a drop of the water. She kept it up until she was holding an empty goatskin and she leaned back to survey the injury. Some of the scales had fully grown and shone in the sunlight coming through the trees, casting silvery lights on the grass. Others were varying shades of blue and silver, still slowly growing; she had not managed to put very much on the kit's hindquarters and the area was still inflamed, but it was not nearly as bad as it had been originally.

Mai reached for the other goatskin, but she did not realize that anyone had seen what she was doing until Mokuba's awe-struck voice came next to her ear. "It's working," he breathed, stormy gray eyes brightening and a grin spreading across his features. "I don't believe it…big brother! Big brother, the water's working!"

There was a movement behind her and Kaiba knelt down beside his brother, taking in the sight for himself. For just the briefest of seconds relief danced across his face, but it was gone just as suddenly as she'd seen it and he rose to his feet, striding to Kisara; he held a hand out for her and the dragon's head came down to him to listen as Kaiba started talking to her in a low voice. All the menace disappeared from the larger dragon and her head swiveled to where Mai was kneeling.

Mai paid no mind, instead opening the next pouch and starting to pour it over the kit's side. As she worked she noticed that the baby was starting to revive, blinking with confusion and actually lifting its head to look up at them. Mai continued pouring the water onto the kit, even going back over areas that still had growing scales to make certain that she had gotten rid of all the injuries. When she finished she set the goatskin aside, pleased at her progress; although the growth of the scales was slow-going and even stopping in some places there was not a trace of infection or open wounds anywhere on its affected side.

"Hold it, Mizu," Mokuba chided as the kit tried to get to its feet. "I know you're probably feeling better, but you've been off your feet for some time and you haven't eaten anything for a couple days. Take it easy."

"Mizu is the baby's name, huh?" she asked, smiling as the kit bumped her hand. She gently petted the dragon and the kit began purring. "That's pretty."

"My brother named her," Mokuba replied, steadying the wobbly kit and watching as she began exploring.

Jou ambled over, staring down at Mizu with curiosity. "She's a tiny little thing. Hard to believe she'll be as menacing as her mama one day," he said. He yelped as Mizu sprang for his tail and bit down, but Mai noticed that he did not try to dislodge Mizu. "Nice try, kid, but your fangs need to be a bit sharper," he continued with a grin, flopping down on the grass as Mizu continued tugging on his tail.

A shadow fell over her and Mai looked above her as Kisara's head descended. Mizu released Jou's tail and waddled toward the larger dragon clumsily, squeaking and rubbing herself against her mother's snout. Kisara sniffed at Mizu before gently picking her up with her teeth and carrying the kit back to her side. Mizu squealed happily when she was set on the ground and rolled onto her back, paws waving in the air and trying to slash playfully at Kisara's snout. The older dragon rumbled and nuzzled her affectionately.

Kaiba knelt down to the kit's level and held his hand out, gently stroking Mizu when she came around before scooping the dragon into his arms and setting her back down near her mother. He patted Kisara's side and then turned, his eyes going back to where Bakura likely was.

"Kisara's a lot happier now that Mizu's not hurt anymore, and so's my brother," said Mokuba, relaxing. "I mean, sure, it'll take a little more of that water for Mizu to regain all of her scales, but she's okay for the most part. Mizu is the only kit Kisara has. If she had died…"

Jou glanced over at Mokuba, frowning. "If Kisara is so defensive of her kit, how come someone was able to hurt her?"

Mokuba's eyes darkened. "Mizu liked to explore and wandered outside the cave one day while Kisara was hunting. Bakura struck then," he said angrily. "By the time we found her it was too late and they were escaping."

"Ah, I do believe that was my cue," said Bakura from immediately behind Jou, and all three of them jumped as the thief strode forward.

Kisara had seen him and instantly bent down, gently but firmly closing her jaws around her baby and setting Mizu safely between her large claws. She snarled in warning.

"Relax, would you?" Bakura said irritably, stopping his advance when he noticed Kisara. "I didn't hurt your baby in the first place."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "I suppose you're going to tell me that I need to uphold my part of the bargain."

"The water worked, did it not?"

"Only partially. The kit's scales are not entirely grown back."

"But its injuries have been washed away—quite literally."

Kaiba seemed to mull over this information, glancing briefly at Mokuba before he looked past Bakura and to where Yami and Yugi were standing. "Would you two say that the bargain has been fulfilled?"

Yami raised an eyebrow. "I will defer to Yugi on this decision, Kaiba, as I do not like either of you and may not be the fairest judge in the matter," he said, abruptly vanishing into the Millennium Puzzle once again.

Valon let out a startled laugh from where he was, and Mai found she could not entirely banish the grin on her face. At least he had been honest.

If Yugi was embarrassed or bothered by Yami's response he indicated nothing of it, instead frowning in thought. "Bakura, did you promise that the kit would be _entirely_ healed?"

"Only that the water would help undo the damage done to it, nothing more," replied Bakura easily. Mai gained the impression that Bakura had known in advance about being asked such a question.

"And Kaiba, did you agree to that?"

Kaiba merely dipped his head, his eyes locked onto Yugi (and Mai gained new respect for the shorter wizard, because he was not quailing under that intense gaze or even flinching).

Yugi remained silent for a few more minutes before he straightened. "All right. As the healing water _did_ work on the kit, Kaiba, you have to stop attacking Bakura and his thieves. However, as the water did not entirely work and the baby will likely need to be given more water to completely grow back her scales, Bakura, you will have two months to find out who _really_ attacked the kit. Is that fair to the both of you?"

The two men looked to each other briefly and then looked away, muttering in acquiescence.

Yugi beamed. "Then it's settled. Keep to both sides of the bargain and there won't be any trouble. Kaiba, if you need to know where the healing spring is you can ask Jou. He knows where it is, but if not you can ask Mai."

When Kaiba's gaze shifted to her Mai said, "It's in the volcanic mountains. There's a gaping hole in the side where the healing spring is—that's how you'll find it."

He said nothing for a few minutes, but when he did speak it wasn't about the healing spring. "You saved Mokuba earlier."

She nodded, uncertain where he was going with this change in conversation. Jou was watching him warily, his tail twitching.

"Kisara was not going to attack Mokuba, as even in her rage she knows better and would have never brought harm to him. However, you did put yourself between Kisara and my brother—that speaks volumes."

He offered nothing further, instead turning on his heel and striding to Kisara. "Come, Mokuba."

The boy grinned and hopped to his feet. He paused and looked down at the blanket, grimacing at the mess on it. "Do we need to bring the blanket?"

"I'll dispose of it and make another one for you," said Yugi brightly, already coming forward. "I don't think you really need to keep such a thing, as it's…well, ruined."

Mai rose to her feet and brushed the grass and dirt off her skirt. "I'd second that."

"Third," said Jou, grimacing at the blanket.

Mokuba looked to Kaiba for approval of this decision and, upon finding it, starting after his brother without a glance backward. It was not until Mokuba had picked up the kit and the two brothers were seated on Kisara once more that Mai remembered an earlier question and waved to catch their attention. "Kaiba!"

The man's head turned even as Kisara adjusted herself and spread her wings to fly.

"What would anyone want with scales aside from selling them?" she called over the sound of Kisara's wings beating the air.

It was Mokuba who replied. "Given the number of scales taken, you could make a weapon from it! It wouldn't be as strong as mine or Kaiba's because they're baby dragon scales, but it still would be rather potent!" he shouted over the wind, and then before Mai could reply the dragon took off through a gap in the trees, making for the clouds above and disappearing into them.

There was a collective sigh of relief from the caravan behind her, the travelers clearly glad that the dragon was gone. As Mai started heading back to the others Valon bounded forward.

"I thought you were taking a nap?" she asked.

The Aurosian grinned cheekily at her. "Kinda 'ard t' sleep through the sound of a dragon roarin' all over the place," he replied. "And Jou, you got thrown into a tree," he continued, laughing. "Tha' was 'ilarious!"

Jou scowled. "Like you could have done better?"

"Yeah, I coulda," said Valon challengingly.

"Do tell," Jou said sardonically, folding his arms over his chest. "I'd love to hear about this."

As the two of them started bickering Mai repressed a groan and instead sought out Yugi. Something about Mokuba's reply had been bothering her and she waited until she was next to Ryou and Yugi before she spoke. "Yugi, what sort of weapon could you make from a baby dragon's scales?"

The wizard, who had been talking to Ryou, jumped at being addressed but processed Mai's question. "Well, there are several you could make. A spear tip, a small shield…more than likely, though, the best way to utilize all the scales taken from the baby would be to fashion a sword," he replied with a frown.

Ryou looked interested as well. "Given that only Kaiba and Mokuba have weapons forged from the scales in the first place that narrows down how many suspects there are. Aside from Yugi, Kaiba never gives out any fallen scales or weaponry crafted from the White Dragon. Diamond cuts diamond—any sword made from the scales of the White Dragon can kill it, which is why Kaiba is loathe to let anyone have them…what's wrong, Highness?"

While Ryou had been speaking Mai had paled, her eyes widening in horror as she listened. At Ryou's concerned voice Jou and Valon stopped bickering and even Bakura looked over. Téa came over as well and put a hand on Mai's shoulder. "Mai?"

Mai did not hear them, still reeling in shock. She had only seen one sword thus far that was claimed to be fashioned from the scales of the White Dragon.

Now Mai was wondering how Jean Claude had _really_ gotten that sword.

* * *

><p><em>"She's figured out that your sword was not a gift from our dear dragon lord."<em>

Jean Claude scowled and swore vehemently. Of all the inopportune times for Mai to find out, she had to find out _now? _"What else does she know?" he said into the amulet. He had no worries of anyone outside the tent hearing him—it had been magically soundproofed to prevent anyone listening to him.

_"She knows that your dragon is a member of royalty and that he knows you, but aside from that nothing else. I will warn you, however, that the more time spent in the dragon's company is more time for her to start remembering—and believe me when I tell you she _is_ starting to."_

Jean Claude started pacing. "Well then there's no time to lose! We've got to separate them!"

_"Rescuing her might not be in your best interests at this point. She is alarmed by what she's just learned, and if given the choice she may decide that Bakura is the lesser of two evils."_

"So then what are you asking me to do? I can't delay any longer if she's going to—"

"_Calm yourself, you fool,"_ came the cold reply. "_I merely stated she is starting to put it together. The problem is that she has forgotten her initial fear of the dragon. She in fact stopped fearing him once she realized he would not hurt her. All you must do is create a rift between them…I assume that you know how to do this?"_

This last comment, Jean Claude knew, was not addressed to him. It was instead directed at the man sitting unperturbed in the darkest corner of the tent. At the mention the man lifted his head and even under the hood he was wearing a bone-chilling smile was plainly visible.

_"I will take the silence to be a yes. Jean Claude, she may not return to you unscathed, but she will remember her fear—that much is promised."_

"I don't want her hurt," spluttered Jean Claude indignantly.

_"That is something you needed to have considered previously,"_ replied the other man stiffly. "_Now, as for you," _he continued, clearly addressing the other man now._ "She is in the company of those who knows how to use Shadow magic, and one in particular is a wizard. Before you do anything the wizard must be immobilized."_

The man stirred and smoothly to his feet, reminding Jean Claude strongly of a snake rearing to strike. "He may use the Shadows, but I _am_ the Shadows and he will fall," he replied, his voice dark and menacing.

Jean Claude felt the strongest urge to leave the tent, as the interior was darkening by the second and it was getting colder all the while. "Er, yes, I'll leave it to you then to figure that out," he said hastily, starting to back outside. "Why don't I leave you in peace for the moment?"

He wiped the blood off the amulet to stop the magic transmitting his voice to Dartz and stepped outside into the late afternoon, never happier for the sun and the breeze blowing through the air. "Just taking a break from planning," he called, noticing that both guards and Mai's lady in waiting were looking at him with puzzled expressions.

He saw Alister roll his eyes and he could practically hear the 'yeah right' Alister muttered under his breath. He refrained from scowling but shot Raphael a pointed look. If that man could not be controlled Jean Claude would have to find a way to punish him.

He straightened up, beginning to smile as an idea came to him. Raphael and Alister in particular were still causing problems and to be honest he did not want Raphael in any position of authority any longer; he would still keep him around to keep the guards under control, certainly, but as far as being a captain went Raphael was done. He trusted Gurimo more than he did that giant oaf.

Then there had been the mention of the Aurosian that was supposedly both Raphael's and Alister's friend and one they'd both risk disobeying orders for…

He turned to the tent entrance and, after briefly hesitating, stepped back inside. He had _just_ the remedy for this whole mess.

* * *

><p>Bakura scowled. "I do not dance," he said flatly, and with that he retreated further up in the tree.<p>

Téa shot him an identical one. "I wasn't asking you to. I just asked if you could help us get one of the wagon wheels unstuck since Yami's worn out. Besides, I know you can't dance to save your life."

"Watch it, woman," Bakura growled, and shadows looped around Téa's waist to deposit her roughly back by the wagons. "Don't forget who you speak to."

Mai grinned at the spluttering Téa, feeling slightly cheered since the discovery she'd made earlier that afternoon. "Don't worry, hon," she said, helping Téa to her feet. "I don't think you'd like the end result of him helping anyways."

The caravan had decided that, since Yugi was letting them stay at the inn and since events that afternoon had gone well, they would hold a small party. Some of them had gotten their instruments out and already several of them were dancing in a cleared area. The sun was just starting to go down and small orbs of light began to light the path to the Turtle Shop, spreading out to the edges of the clearing.

Ryou and Marik had kept out of the festivities for the most part, instead talking to some of the older caravan members. Valon had joined in on some dancing game that supposedly was one the forest folk played, while Jou and Yugi were talking animatedly as they watched the others.

Téa smiled at Mai and said, "You seem happier than you were this afternoon."

"I'm still in shock over it, to be honest, but that's something I'm bringing up with him when I get back. For now, there's no use dwelling on it—I've got enough on my plate as it is," she replied.

When Mai had heard what Ryou was saying she had felt as if she had been punched in the gut. It took several minutes to get Mai to calm down and talk, but when she finally did calm Mai relayed what Jean Claude had told her on her very first day at the castle about the sword. This, coupled with Jou's own testimony about the injuries caused by the sword, was enough to convince Bakura that Jean Claude was a very likely suspect in the matter.

As there was no conclusive proof pointing to this option, as well as no way to explain how Kaiba had seen Marik and Bakura at the caves, there was not very much any of them could do. Bakura had decided some additional investigation would have to be involved, but as he was confronting Jean Claude anyways he had decided to wait until that time came.

Téa's eyes went to Yugi and her eyes softened. "I worry about him," she admitted, startling Mai. "His grandfather was his only living relative left and with him banished he's alone. I mean, I know Yami is watching out for him and Yugi's a pretty good wizard, but…there's always a stronger one out there or some foe that can get to Yugi before he can wave his staff," she said.

Mai filed this away to mention to Yugi later. "I've not seen much of him, admittedly, but from what I can tell I don't think anyone is willing to mess with Yugi. He's a nice guy, though."

"Sometimes too nice," said Téa with a sigh. "You don't know how many times I've had to push him to make someone pay for their goods at the shop instead of bartering with him. They still need to pay taxes, after all."

"True, but if he wasn't such a nice guy Jou and I probably wouldn't be here at the moment."

"Speaking of Jou, he likes you," said Téa.

"I'm helping him, Téa, nothing more. He likes me because of that."

"He likes you enough to throw himself at Kisara and, in spite of the danger, make sure you were safe? I saw the way his eyes followed you when he was driving Kisara back, he was making sure you were safe," replied Téa with a skeptical frown. "Based on what I've heard from Yugi, Jou's been fighting to make sure you were kept from harm this whole time."

"It's not the first time a guy's done that for me. Look at Valon, he's helped me too. Then Marik and Ryou helped. That's not counting all the other princes in the past I've dealt with who do the same thing just to win my favor," she retorted. "I don't measure a man by his past deeds."

Even as she said it, though, she knew she did not entirely loop Jou into that comment. Unlike every other prince she'd bumped into, Jou had been protecting her from day one and was even willing to throw his life away to do just that. Not any of the princes she'd encountered had been that bold. Then of course was how Jou behaved; although he was a prince of some sort he still held some sort of country-boy charm that Mai could not shake…it was eerily familiar, as if she had seen it once before.

Téa looked as if she was going to reply when Jou abruptly bounded over. "There you are, Téa, lost track of you," he announced, grinning. He leaned in conspiratorially and said in a low voice, "I'm thinking Yugi wants to dance, but I don't think he's looking for just any girl to do that with."

Téa's face turned pink. "And how about you? Why not dance yourself?"

Jou flinched and looked suddenly awkward. "Er…I don't dance."

Mai frowned. "You danced just fine in the cave," she said, almost instantly regretting it when Téa shot her a knowing look.

"Yeah, but…well, there was no music or anything and it wasn't like a real dance and I get nervous in front of people and—"

"Calm down, Jou, you're babbling," said Mai with fond exasperation. She grinned at Jou and motioned for him to come closer; when he did she whispered, "I bet we can get Téa and Yugi to dance if we push the right buttons."

A mischievous light entered Jou's ruby eyes and he winked at her before looking at Téa. "I dunno, Mai, I'm thinking Téa can't dance at all. I mean, she'd probably look awkward with Yugi."

"I'd agree," said Mai, fighting not to smile when Téa's face darkened.

"I am a dancer. _Of course_ I know how to…ohhh, you two don't believe me?" she asked indignantly when both Mai and Jou raised their eyebrows at her. "All right, fine! You and Jou start dancing and I'll go get Yugi! We'll see who the better dancers are!"

Jou looked to Mai desperately. "Mai, my dad never taught me to dance and the tutors weren't any help so I never learned," he said. "The most I've ever done was in the cave!"

"You'll be fine," Mai chided. "You just follow my instructions…besides, the intention is to get Yugi some time with Téa, not outshine them."

Jou still looked uncertain and his mood did not improve when Valon caught sight of them and started grinning. He was out of breath but still managed a teasing, "Look out, everybody, Jou's comin' through!"

"Shut up!" he snapped defensively, his tail curling between his legs.

"Don't focus on them. I do know how to dance, remember?" she said. "Now follow my lead."

This was easier said than done. Poor Jou was clearly out of his element with a crowd watching and moved stiffly, his eyes darting nervously everywhere.

"Jou, come on. Quit focusing on them and focus on me—you've got a gorgeous dancing partner, after all," she said. "Now take a step forward."

"Like this?" Jou's large foot came too far forward and came down on top of Mai's foot, crushing it.

Mai yelped and stumbled as Jou started apologizing. There was a chorus of good natured laughter behind them and Jou just looked even more flustered. "Mai I'm sorry is your foot okay?" he asked in a rush.

Mai eyed him with lingering irritation. "Oh sure," she said, and then she twirled to step very deliberately on Jou's foot and drive her elbow into his ribs at the same time. "I'm fine now."

Jou's eyes flashed. "You did that on purpose!" he hissed.

"Maybe I did. I'm so sorry, is _your _foot okay?" she asked with just the barest hint of mocking in her voice.

The two of them scowled at each other for one long moment. Mai was not sure who moved first, but she soon found that instead of a dance they had launched themselves into some kind of foot-stomping war, moving like a rampant tornado through the clearing as they fought to smash each other's feet.

From the safety of a wagon Ryou gasped. "Oh dear," he said. Marik and Valon had not heard him—they were laughing so hard that they were fighting to breathe.

Ryou's eyes moved to where Yugi and Téa were dancing just out of sight and with ease and smiled—he strongly suspected a part of the fight occurring between Jou and Mai was a ploy to get the attention away from Yugi, who could get rather flustered when put around Téa.

"Oh God can' breathe, I can' breathe," Valon laughed, bending double.

Marik was laughing just as hard, unable to form words but looking genuinely relaxed for the first time in what felt like months. Ryou even heard the barest hint of a chuckle from the back of his mind and knew Bakura was watching.

Ryou watched Jou and Mai and then did a double take when Jou suddenly and violently spun her around. Mai took a moment to recover and stepped forward again resolutely, but this time it seemed to be a deliberate miss. Jou also mirrored her movement and repeated the spin, the scowl fading off his face and starting to smile broadly.

The two of them were still going for each other's feet, but now it was playful and when Jou next spun Mai she went airborne; Jou ducked under her and caught her in a true bridal fashion, then bowed to the spectators.

Mai was out of breath and she was alarmingly close to Jou's face when he bowed, but she grinned—her earlier plan to distract both Jou and the crowd to allow Yugi to dance in peace had worked. "Jou, you can put me down now," she half-panted.

Jou looked down and grinned, clearly about to reply—

Suddenly, all the lights in the clearing were extinguished.

Jou blinked, startled, and Mai looked around nervously. Even the torches had gone out and the horses were whickering uneasily, stomping in place. What was going on?

And then a shriek of horror rent the darkness. _"Yugi! YUGI!"_

Jou kept a hold of her and his wings flared out, and Mai had a split second to realize what Jou was intending to do before she grabbed his neck and he flew across the clearing. Jou could see in the dim light, she knew; night had nearly fallen, though there was enough light left to see.

Téa was on the ground, holding an unconscious Yugi in her arms and looking genuinely panicked. The Millennium Puzzle gleamed from where it was on a nearby wagon; Yugi must have taken it off to dance. At the sight of the others Téa said, "He just collapsed! His eyes went dark and he said he felt funny, then he just...Yugi! Yugi, wake up!" she said, shaking his shoulders.

Yugi looked far too pale and when Téa shook him he only moved limply, as if he was nothing but a doll.

Bakura abruptly appeared and shoved past the people gathered. "Get back!" he snarled, going to where Yugi was lying. "Where's the Puzzle?"

Mai never got the chance to speak.

All of them felt it, a wind that was both dark and cold blowing past them and Mai felt the familiar pressure of Yugi's barrier lift, the same way it had when Jou had smashed into it. At the same moment Jou stiffened, his claws suddenly digging into Mai's shoulders and legs.

"Jou?" she asked, starting to struggle when the pressure increased. "Jou, you're hurting me, what are you—?"

He dropped her and she landed violently on the ground with a cry of alarm. Jou backed away, his tail swishing through the air violently and his hands going to his head. Mai recovered and got to her feet, moving to Jou. "What's wrong? Jou, talk to me!"

Jou looked at her, his ruby eyes going darker by the second. There was terror in his eyes. "Mai…get back…get back…" he said, almost choking as he stumbled further away. "Run, Mai…!"

"Why? Jou, what's happening to you?" she asked again, getting closer. "Jou, I can help if you—!"

With a snarl so terrible that it made almost everyone stagger backward in alarm, Jou slashed at Mai and his talons dug into her right shoulder, ripping through both fabric and skin and knocking Mai off her feet.

Mai sat up shakily, her hand going to her shoulder as something warm began flowing down her body from her shoulder. Her hand came away bloody and her wide eyes swung back to Jou, who was now advancing on her with a menacing snarl. She scrambled backward. "Jou! Jou, don't!"

But Jou was not listening, still coming toward her with every intention to rip her to shreds. He actually tried to kick her but missed, though this did not stop him from pursuing her. Jou easily caught up to her as she tried to regain her feet, grabbed her arm and yanked her upright. He lifted his hand to slash through her again—

Marik leapt and tackled Jou, pushing him to the earth and knocking Mai back to the ground. He fought to pin Jou down, as did several of the other men in the caravan. Over the crowd struggling to keep Jou down he looked directly at her and shouted, "Mai, don't just sit there, _run!"_

Run where? She let out a nervous, hysterical laugh. Where could she go? Jou was already getting loose again and throwing people aside like it was nothing, where—

Marik broke loose, sprinting to her side. He grabbed her uninjured arm and hoisted her to her feet, practically throwing her to the forest path. "_GO_!" he roared.

It was enough to break through the shock and Mai finally ran, half stumbling on the branches in the path. She dared not look back and just kept going, terror increasing when she heard other footsteps behind her. Jou had gotten loose and was following her; it seemed like he was saying something to her, but she refused to stop and kept running.

She had no idea how long she kept running, the sounds of the brush behind her crashing and her feet hitting the path her only sounds, but she abruptly broke through the trees and ran directly into someone that had been standing there. She screamed, half-terrified it was Jou and that he'd somehow cut her off, and started struggling.

"Mai, Mai, stop, it's me!" came a woman's alarmed voice, but Mai heard at the same moment an unfamiliar voice shout, "Fire through the trees! He's obviously trying to recapture her!"

Another man's voice, alarmed and angry all at once, boomed out through the darkness. "_NO!"_

Then all around her was the sound of some sort of fight erupting, the noise breaking through the night. It was all too much and she felt her knees give out beneath her, gladly welcoming the darkness that swallowed her sight.


	21. Aftermath of the Attack

A/N: What what WHAT, three chapters in a month? "Oho, Kohaku, you're getting better at posting!"

From this point on, everything is planned out and I know in advance _exactly_ what I want to have happen. This should mean that chapters actually come out in a timely fashion now, rather than once every couple months. I don't know what the final chapter count will be, but I do know what's going to happen from this point. Thanks to everyone who's been following thus far and I hope you continue to enjoy this little fic of mine!

* * *

><p><em>It was different this time, the images jumbled and blurred and darkness creeping in at the edges. She did not know why it was different than the other times, but something about this was important and she clung onto the images as they passed her.<em>

_There was the maze, the boy silhouetted in shadow and being dragged away from the exit of the maze by an irate looking man as they left her behind, and she waved feebly to the boy and found herself worrying over him…_

_…then she was sitting on a blanket under a tree and watching a young auburn haired girl she'd never seen and yet knew as if it was her own younger sister, her long hair blowing in the breeze as she played in the field of flowers. The silhouette of that same boy who'd been in the maze was in front of her, his laughter echoing eerily through the meadow as he held his hand out to Mai…_

_…and now the little girl was gone and the scenery was shifting, the grass melding into the dirt and the sound of armor clashing and horses neighing, the scent of sweat and dirt mingling with the overwhelming scent of food and spices. Poles began rising and stands began forming, the flowers blurring into people and her seat becoming into a wooden throne of sorts, and she realized it was a jousting field. The shadowed boy had grown into a young man, sitting astride a black horse in the field and facing another knight in armor…_

_ …And then her father was shouting in anger, yelling at one of the knights, and she jolted when she realized that the man looked remarkably like Jean Claude…_

_Then the shadows at the edges of her sight began swallowing everything and someone was pinning her to the wall, leering at her with cold lavender eyes and holding something golden in front of her face, but even as she struggled she was pushed away and the eyes shifted from lavender to ruby. Now she was facing a snarling and malevolent red-eyed dragon that transformed one last time, and she found Jou was advancing on her once again, ready to finish the job he'd started—_

"NO!" she shrieked, her eyes snapping open and lurching forward. She flailed wildly in the blankets, uncertain of where she was or what was happening, but Jou's burning and malevolent gaze was still fresh in her mind and she tried to scoot away from it. She ended up backing into the headboard of a four-poster bed and her shoulder throbbed with sudden pain, causing her to hunch over.

"Mai!" said a welcome and familiar voice with surprise, and Mai's head turned sharply to face the owner in the doorway of the room.

She realized that she was back in her room at Jean Claude's castle, though a larger bed had been moved into the room. Vivian was standing in the doorway of the room, her hands full with a tray and a china tea set on it; the set had belonged to Vivian's family and Vivian was exceptional at brewing tea. It was something she did when she was stressed out to help calm her nerves.

Mai tried to give Vivian a smile and a reassuring "I'm fine," but what ended up coming out of her mouth instead was a choked sob. The unexpected bit of familiarity after everything she had been through had put her off guard and she had forgotten just how scared she had truly been while in the company of Bakura and the others.

The black-haired woman instantly set the tea tray down and crossed the room swiftly, pulling Mai into a hug. "Oh thank heaven, you're finally awake!" she said, sounding incredibly relieved. "I'm so sorry I let that horrible dragon capture you…and then you got carted away by the Thief King himself!" she continued, almost wailing. "I'm absolutely terrible!"

Mai flinched at the mention of Jou and the others, but the other woman assumed it had been because of the hug and pulled away, her eyes incredibly bright.

"Vivian, honey, what were you supposed to do about a dragon?" Mai asked gently. "You did the best you could. And if I'm not much mistaken that was you I ran into back in the forest. You came and got me, and that's what counts in my book."

"But—!"

"If you blame yourself any further on the matter I'll cut off all your hair while you sleep," she threatened, raising an eyebrow.

Vivian let out a shaky laugh, wiping her eyes. "That definitely sounds like the Mai I know," she said, composing herself. "I think I'll get us some tea. I was getting some for myself earlier, but it's a good thing I always bring a spare cup."

She returned to the table she had left the tray on and, after bringing it over to the bedside cabinet, poured two cups of tea and handed one to Mai. "Here."

Mai offered a wan smile and took a sip from the cup, almost instantly relaxing. Vivian was just as good as ever at brewing tea. "Thanks, Vivian."

"Oh don't you even mention it. You deserve a nice spot of tea, rest, and some peace and quiet," replied the other woman firmly. "I've seen to it that Jean Claude lets you be for a couple days until you're ready to see him."

"How long have I been back?" Mai asked.

"Almost two days. You were delirious with fear and pain when you ran into us, so some quiet time would for you is well-deserved."

Mai felt the relief hit her that she would not have to deal with Jean Claude just yet, as she was a complete mess of raw nerves and emotions; Jou's attack on her, combined with the stress she had been under during her stay with Bakura and his thieves, had upset her far more than she realized and she just was not in the mood to confront anyone. Vivian had known this in advance.

At Jean Claude's mention, though, she frowned and looked back up to Vivian. "How did you know where I was?" she asked.

Vivian took another sip of tea, looking troubled. "It was an odd bit of business. We were at the place that the Thief King had told us to meet for the ransom. Just before the sun started going down, however, Jean Claude came out of his tent and ordered everyone onto the horses and told us to gallop through the trees after him. We rode for about twenty, maybe thirty minutes and it had gotten dark out when he suddenly told us to dismount and wait. Not even five minutes later you came running through the trees as if there was a demon after you…you looked horrible, by the way," she replied, shuddering at the memory.

Mai winced. She did not doubt that she had looked ghastly at that moment, what with her legs mud-stained, her body covered in dirt, and blood soaking through her dress.

"You looked as if you got attacked by a bear," Vivian continued. "I'd never seen such terrible and deep wounds before. Even the royal healer had trouble dressing them. I'm supposed to warn you not to do anything strenuous with your shoulder for the next couple weeks until it heals."

_I bet she'd never seen wounds like mine before—she never had to deal with something like…_she trailed off, unwilling to think of Jou at that moment. As her thoughts deliberately wandered away from Jou she remembered what had happened just before she passed out and, after taking another sip of tea, asked, "Who shouted?"

Vivian looked startled. "What?"

"I remember it…right before I passed out someone was shouting," she said, turning the cup in her hands. "What happened?"

Vivian's face darkened. "That was the captain. It seemed one of the thieves was pursuing you and when the prince ordered the archers with him to shoot him the captain and that archer would not let anyone fire arrows or otherwise chase after him."

"You don't say," said Mai wryly, taking another sip of tea. She already knew which direction this was going; Alister and Raphael had both shown treason by disobeying Jean Claude and chances were high they would be punished for it.

Vivian confirmed this by saying, "They've been acting out since the beginning of our stay and what they said in the woods to me was proof enough that they'd end up at this point."

Mai paused. "You don't say," she said again, this time with interest. "What _did_ they tell you?"

"That if it came down to it they'd let the prince be killed," she replied, but now she looked troubled. "Highness, what could a prince do to inspire such disloyalty from his men? I've never encountered two men so angry with a prince before."

_I've encountered an Enterran who loathes royalty even more than Raphael and Alister, _she thought wryly. Aloud, she said, "What's troubling me is that it took this long for Jean Claude to do something about it. It's not just them, though—take a look at any man here who's from the forest, Viv, and you'll find that they don't like him either."

At Vivian's baffled expression Mai sighed and said, "You didn't know that Jean Claude had drafted men from the forest to be among his guards? Raphael and Alister are from the forest, as are a good portion of his guard."

"I didn't know that. That might make sense as to why they're so hostile, then…but regardless, I don't understand why they chose that moment to deliberately disobey the prince," said Vivian with a frown. "Jean Claude said that they must have been working with Bakura from the beginning, but how would they even know that Bakura would end up capturing you?"

"If you're thinking the dragon was in league with Bakura the answer is no. The dragon was an independent creature that had nothing to do with him—in fact, the Thief King stumbled on me in the dragon's lair."

Sensing the burning question that Vivian was holding off on asking (mostly out of worry that Mai was not up for recounting her story) Mai repressed a wince. She was not yet ready to delve into what had happened, mostly because if she did she would remember Jou—his smile and laughter, the dances, the many times he'd saved her…

The brutal attack he'd made on her that had left her shoulder torn open and whose malevolent presence haunted her dreams.

"I'll tell you all about it tonight," said Mai with a tired smile, finishing her tea and leaning comfortably back into the pillows. "For now I'm content to stay here," she continued, closing her eyes to catch a nap and stifling a yawn. "I assume Jean Claude is busy?"

"I believe he's going to mete out the proper punishment to the guards who interfered that night, including Raphael and Alister. He held off because he had to get things settled down again, but now that everything's taken care of he's going to see to their punishment."

The moment Vivian said the word "punishment" Valon's face popped into the forefront of Mai's mind. He'd helped her too in the forest, hadn't he? And he had spoken so highly of his friends to her, confident that they'd done no wrong—and yet here they were, likely about to be put to death.

The image of Valon's cheerful face crumpling at the news of his friend's deaths bothered her more than she cared to admit.

"You said that Raphael and Alister only intervened once Jean Claude had ordered them to shoot at the thief chasing me?" she asked, opening her eyes again.

Vivian nodded. "They were adamant on not pursuing or shooting at him, and some of the men also joined them. They would not let anyone shoot at him and the captain kept insisting that the pursuer was no threat."

Mai mulled this over and then groaned. There was only one reason she could think of as to why Raphael would directly disobey an order and why even Alister had gotten involved.

She sat up and started looking around the room, trying to find a dress to wear; although she was wearing a plain, sleeveless white silk dress to accommodate the bandages that were wrapped around her chest and shoulder that was hardly appropriate to wear to the throne room. When her shoulder throbbed in protest Mai decided that perhaps she'd have to go without a dress—it was not the first time she'd gone into a throne room wearing nothing but a nightgown.

"Mai, what are you doing?" asked Vivian when she saw that Mai had gotten to her feet.

"I'm going to the throne room. I need to talk to Jean Claude about the guards who disobeyed him," Mai said, crossing the room to the door. "I can't ignore this, Vivian."

Vivian let out a long and exasperated sigh. "This would be the part where I drag you back to bed and tie you down, except you've got that look in your eye and I know you'd just give me grief until you got to the throne room. Do you at least have time to put on a dress?" she asked with resignation.

"I don't think I can manage getting the sleeve on this shoulder," Mai said, gesturing to the thick bandages. "I'm going as is."

"At least this on," said Vivian, holding out a thick purple robe with long, wide sleeves. "No reason for the guards to ogle you while you're down there—you're a princess, after all."

Mai grinned. "What would I do without you, Vivian?"

The black-haired woman smiled and winked. "Now let's get this on you and get down there before it's too late. I don't know why you want to go down there, but you never do anything without a reason," she replied.

Once Mai had gotten the robe she immediately began heading for the throne room. She did not bother with shoes, as she could not find a pair right away and time was of the essence; Vivian followed along behind her, ready to steady her. Mai was still weakened from the injury and the loss of blood, so she had to stop frequently, but she made it to the large hallway that marked the way to the throne room.

Several guards were in a circle around five men who were not armored, but Vivian murmured in an undertone "Those were the men who aided the captain," and Mai strode forward until she was in front of them.

"You there. Have you received a punishment from the prince yet?" she asked them.

They all looked surprised to see her, but a young black-haired guard nodded. He had a black eye and split lip, likely from the scuffle from the night of her rescue. "Yes. We're to be whipped. Twenty lashes."

"And the captain?"

"He's still inside, as is Alister," he replied, looking worried.

"Any word on their punishment?" she asked, glancing at the hallway.

"None yet," replied an older man with a beard. Mai recognized another man looking at her as the one who had brought Valon to the Turtle Shop.

She nodded in satisfaction. "Good. I'm going on in there," she said, and then she marched briskly down the hall before anyone could stop her. She paused at the doorway to the throne room and then entered the room after pushing open the door.

Jean Claude was sitting on his throne, looking down at the four men in front of him; Raphael and Alister, like their companions outside, had been stripped of their armor and were flanked by two guards, wearing iron manacles on their wrists. At the sound of the door opening all of them turned to face her, looking startled to see her in the doorway.

"So, what did I miss?" she asked with a cheerful voice.

Jean Claude's surprised expression disappeared to be replaced by a delighted one. "Mai, dearest, you're awake!" he said, rising to his feet. "I'm so glad to see you on  
>your feet!"<p>

"I'll be fine. I'm a tough girl, it doesn't take much for me to recover," she replied. Her eyes went to Raphael and Alister briefly (and she repressed the urge to scowl when she saw both of their faces darken). "Have you sentenced them yet?"

"I was going to," Jean Claude said, looking startled by her question. Mai heard Vivian come in behind her but did not turn, while Raphael and Alister exchanged subtle glances. "I was thinking execution for them, honestly."

Mai shook her head. "Don't mistake me, Jean Claude. They've been rude to me from the beginning of my stay, especially Alister, and I don't like either of them. If what I've heard from you is true and they even were planning a revolt you have all the reason to reprimand them. But execution, I believe, is too extreme of a punishment for what they did."

Multiple looks of surprise were given to her.

Mai sighed, running her hand through her hair. "They disobeyed you because they're forest folk. The one you ordered them to shoot was their friend, and it's understandable that they would balk if given such an order," she explained.

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, you have no idea who was chasing you," said the guard flanking Raphael, adjusting his monocle. "Are you sure that you know of what you're speaking of? You are from a different kingdom, are you not?"

"Was he the one who encountered your camp earlier that same day? An Aurosian?" she countered, bristling at the condescending tone the guard had used.

Even Alister looked stunned and he exchanged an alarmed look with Raphael.

"How do you know that?" asked the man with surprise.

"While I was with Bakura the boy in question was brought to the inn we had been temporarily staying at. He had encountered a group of soldiers on his travels and had been badly beaten by them, but he was also an Aurosian who lived in the forest. He spoke to me quite a bit about his friends here at the castle—Raphael and Alister, in other words," she said, gesturing to them. "I got the impression that they're about the only family he has.

"I'm not saying that you need to omit their punishment entirely. They did disobey you, certainly, and that can't be ignored. I am saying that they had a legitimate reason for disobeying you, as they are forest folk and—like others from the woods—would defend one of their own regardless of the consequences," she continued.

Jean Claude looked interested. "How come you are willing to defend the ones who tried to make sure you were captured once more by the thieves?"

"The boy was not with Bakura, that's what I'm trying to tell you. He was only chasing me because he might have been worried about me, but he was not trying to recapture me," she said impatiently. She was telling a partial truth—it would help all involved if she left out the fact that Valon _had_ helped kidnap her to begin with. "That I can assure you."

Jean Claude studied her for a long moment and Mai kept her eyes on him; she knew that Raphael and Alister were both watching her as well, though it was with marked tension.

At length Jean Claude relaxed. "Dearest, of course I believe you. I find it absolutely noble you're willing to go to these lengths for such dim-witted oafs—" (and both Raphael and Alister bristled) "—and in light of your own testimony I shall in fact spare the death penalty. However, I cannot overlook the blatant disobedience shown to me."

He turned to Raphael. "Let's see. Raphael, you will no longer hold captaincy of the guards. You will be replaced by Gurimo. In addition there will be fifty lashes for you both…on second thought, that will be just for you in addition to another I shall discuss with you in private, Raphael. Alister, I do not think you will learn obedience by merely being whipped. I want you unstrung as an archer."

Both of them paled and the briefest hint of horror flashed across Alister's face.

"Now carry on with it, Gurimo," said Jean Claude dismissively, already leaving his chair to walk across the room to Mai. Gurimo and the other man with him led Raphael and Alister away. "I want all their punishments carried out by the time I return."

"Of course, my liege."

"Come, my dear. If you are able to manage I would like to show you the rest of my kingdom—it will not be a pleasant afternoon here, I'm afraid, and I would love to show you the city," said Jean Claude, gently taking Mai's hand. "I would not dream of forcing you to walk, so we would be taking the carriage."

Mai exchanged looks with Vivian. "I do not know how long I would be able to travel, as I'm still rather faint, but I would like to see this kingdom if there's more to it."

"But of course! I shall bring along a blanket for you to stay under and we will remain in the carriage for the day. At some point during your stay we shall take a longer visit and perhaps shop in the bazaars. I am aware you enjoy perusing the markets," he added, noticing the way both Mai's and Vivian's faces lit up. "I shall show you the sights as soon as you are ready."

By the time they had left the throne room all the guards had gone. Jean Claude kissed Mai's hand and said, "I shall ready the carriage for our departure."

"Thank you," she replied, starting for the stairways.

"I take it there was a reason you wanted to spare Raphael and Alister from execution?" asked Vivian the moment they were out of sight and earshot of Jean Claude.

"It's as I said, Vivian. I didn't spare them because I like them," Mai said, leaning against the wall to steady herself. She really was not ready to be wandering around just yet and she regretted agreeing to the tour of the city, as she was already worn out. "The Aurosian I referred to saved my life in the forest. I saw it a poor means of repaying him if I did nothing to stay Jean Claude's hand."

She frowned as she remembered Alister's visibly horrified reaction. It had been the very first time she'd seen something other than derision or annoyance from him and it bothered her. "Vivian, what does it mean to unstring an archer?"

Vivian paused, frowning as well. "I don't know. Punishments vary from kingdom to kingdom, as do their names," she said at last. "I wouldn't know what it would be."

Mai thought it over for one last minute and then shrugged. Alister would recover from whatever punishment had been bestowed on him—she'd at least made sure that Valon's friends had been spared. Her debt to Valon for saving her life had been repaid. Now she would just let things be for the moment and focus on recovering.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later Mai was seated comfortably in a large gold and white carriage. The cushions were made of red velvet and rather soft, but the royal healer had insisted that Mai keep her shoulder pillowed and Vivian had brought several large pillows from her room; these pillows had been seated behind Mai and under her arm to act as an arm rest and to allow her arm to rest comfortably without jarring her injuries.<p>

Mai had also decided that she could not simply wear a nightgown and a bathrobe (no matter how comfortable she was in it) and, after scavenging two dresses and thanks to Vivian's quick sewing, had modified Mai's favorite white dress; Vivian had ripped out the tighter white sleeves to make the gown sleeveless and turned the former sleeves into elbow-high arm warmers. Then, using material from a scavenged dress, they had crafted a wrap that was styled similarly to her robe. It was not much different from her outfit that morning, but it was an actual dress and Mai was happier in it.

After Mai had been comfortably placed in the carriage they set out to tour the city; the healer cautioned that Mai should not do anything to jolt her shoulder and to return if she felt dizzy or tired, but cleared them to leave. Once they left the castle, however, Mai received a pleasant surprise.

What Mai and Vivian had not seen on their first day was that the castle was situated on a hill that overlooked a valley, in which the city—Hermos—had been situated; on the other side of the valley was a large river, on which boats were coming and going. Several roads led into the valley, but the one from the palace was certainly the smoothest. According to Jean Claude it was constantly paved and smoothed down to allow the least resistance to the carriage; this particular road they were on zigzagged at a gradual slope down the side of the valley wall.

"Your city seems to be very well-kept," said Mai, looking out at the buildings. They finally leveled out onto the main road and Mai could see the white stone buildings all around her, as well as people moving about on their daily business.

"Of course!" Jean Claude replied, beaming at her. "I insist on having my city looking orderly and proper at all times. This area we're in now are where all the upper class shopping is, as well as there being two or three inns. The shopping bazaars are in the center of the city and are usually quite crowded, so we'll forego the tour in that area, but even the lower class sections of my city are kept in order."

"Why is the bazaar crowded?" she asked, leaning back on the pillows. Her shoulder still ached and the carriage road was still rather bumpy in spite of all efforts to smooth it down; she was lucky that Vivian had brought pillows.

"That's where things like temporary shops, animal trading, and traveling merchants go. That's only a small sampling…honestly, there are always a lot of people in the bazaar and anyone of them could jar your shoulder. That reminds me, I would love to hear the story of how you escaped the thieves. I was so worried when you were taken, and when you were captured by the thieves my heart stopped," said Jean Claude, sobering. "I had feared the worst."

"I'm a tough girl," replied Mai, smiling. "I've always been able to handle myself."

"But even so, Highness, if you don't mind…"

Mai managed not to flinch. She did not want to talk about Jou at that moment, nor of anything else that had happened. In addition to the fact that she had befriended the very person who had kidnapped her initially, she also knew that she would eventually have to tell of Yugi and she did not want to get the poor wizard exiled when he'd done no wrong.

A spike of guilt abruptly stung at her. She had been so wrapped up in her own injury that she had forgotten about Yugi's collapse…she'd never even found out what had happened to him. She hoped that he was okay, as she did not want to think Yugi had been killed.

Luckily for Mai, Vivian had noticed the way Mai's face had clouded and she said, "Perhaps over dinner tonight, Your Majesty. My lady is still recovering from her ordeal and I don't wish to push her."

"Oh goodness, you're right! I can't believe how rude I was," said Jean Claude, looking genuinely apologetic. "I was so happy to see that you've recovered that I completely forgot about your present condition. Forgive me for my thoughtlessness."

_"_It's all right. I've told you before that I can handle myself. I'll be fine once I've rested a few days," she replied shortly, suddenly tired.

Truthfully, Mai wanted time to think everything over (because in all honesty, quite a lot had happened to her within such a small period of time). Even so, she decided that she would have to come up with an acceptable story to tell Jean Claude, as she knew that it was an inevitable topic that she could not continue to avoid. For now, she'd be content to tour the city. She just wanted to relax and settle back down into a familiar routine—one that did not involved thieves and cursed dragons.

Their trip lasted quite a while, carrying on into the afternoon. Mai normally would have been driven mad at sitting still for so long and at some of the places they stopped she longed to get out, but given how her shoulder throbbed and pulsed whenever she moved she decided that a couple days of downtime would be more beneficial. Besides, her stay was to be for at least three months, according to her parents. She would have plenty of time to explore the city; she had caught a glimpse of the bazaar Jean Claude had been talking about (a huge and open square that was filled with bustling people) and she'd seen the seaside shops.

They finally returned to the castle late in the afternoon, and though Mai had enjoyed it she was vastly looking forward to the solitude of her room; Jean Claude had assured her that dinner would be a minor affair and not some grandiose banquet, even going so far as to ask if she wished to dine in her quarters. While she was flattered by the attention and concern, Mai simply wanted a few minutes alone to talk to Vivian—the woman always knew exactly what to say and Mai had a lot on her mind to sort through.

Jean Claude hovered around Mai as Vivian helped her exit the carriage, fretting every second she was in motion. "Vivian my dear, do be careful! You'll hurt her!" he said, looking particularly anxious when Mai's shoulder came dangerously close to the doorframe of the carriage.

Mai was not fond of the reprimand, but Vivian took this comment with a smile and a bow of her head. "Do not trouble yourself, Majesty," she said brightly, lifting Mai's skirt high enough to allow her free movement down the steps. "I'll take care of her."

Jean Claude nodded absently. "Forgive me for doubting you, my dear, but she is already so terribly wounded and—"

"It will be fine, Jean Claude," said Mai kindly. "I am going to take a walk through the gardens before I retire," she continued, changing her mind about immediately heading to her room. The weather was pleasant and she still needed to talk to Vivian.

"Very well," replied Jean Claude, kissing her hand. "I shall hopefully see you tonight. If you cannot dine with me do send your lovely lady in waiting to let me know."

With that he offered one last bow and then strode to the steps, smiling at them both before disappearing inside the castle.

"He called me lovely," said Vivian, giggling as her hands shot to her cheeks. "Be still my beating heart!"

Mai grinned, arching an eyebrow. "Oho, what's this? A young blossoming romance between a prince and a lady in waiting?"

"A forbidden romance that was never meant to be," Vivian replied, pretending to look wistful. She clasped her hands as if in prayer and looked in the direction Jean Claude had gone. "And yet it is a perfect match. My love, Heaven hath denied us."

Mai struggled to keep a straight face, as did Vivian, but they both failed and burst into laughter seconds later. Unlike Yugi and Téa, who both got flustered if pressed on their romantic interest, Vivian did not waver under such pressure and instead teased along with her. That was yet another reason that Vivian was one of her closest friends.

Vivian sobered and said, "I don't suppose you're going to tell me the real reason why we're strolling through the gardens instead of returning to your room? Don't say there isn't an ulterior motive, I know you," she added sternly.

"What are you, a mind reader?" asked Mai, half joking. She fell silent, however, and her gaze shifted to her feet. "I actually wanted to let you hear about what happened to me first. I know Jean Claude rescued me and he probably should be the one to hear it first, but you've always offered great advice and frankly I could use it."

"Fire away," said Vivian promptly, gesturing to the garden path. "We'll find us a quiet corner of the gardens to sequester ourselves in and then you can give me all the sordid details."

Her voice was light-hearted, but Mai did not miss the serious tone that was beneath her words and she nodded. "Let's find this quiet corner of yours."

The two of them started along the path, not saying anything until they ended up in the shadow of the northern tower of the castle. There they found a willow tree whose leaves touched the water and offered the perfect shade. The two women slipped into the shadow of the tree and settled themselves.

The moment they were comfortable Mai launched into the story: being taken to the dragon's lair, Bakura capturing her and meeting those with him, being chased by the White Dragons, meeting Yugi and Yami, helping the dragon kit, and then Jou's attack on her. The only major details she left out was the supposed memory spell that was on her (she looked back on it now and figured that Yami must have been mistaken, as she had yet to forget anyone), Jou being cursed, and her suspicions of who had attacked Mizu—she wanted to speak to Jean Claude about that in private.

When she finished Vivian remained silent, not immediately asking questions and toying with the grass near her hand. "I'm getting the feeling you aren't telling me something," she said at last. "I don't know exactly why you're holding back, but chances are it's because you're still trying to make sense of it."

Mai repressed a wince. Vivian was sometimes too perceptive.

Maybe she should tell Vivian all her thoughts of Jou, as it was bothering her and she did not know which direction she could take on the matter. Vivian. Vivian always had good advice, maybe she might be able to make sense of Jou's attack on her.

As she opened her mouth to start speaking, however, they heard footsteps on the path behind them and Mai's mouth snapped shut. She did not want to talk about this with Jean Claude, though she knew now that she had a story she could tell him.

She realized it was more than one person and she turned, noticing through the tree branches that it was the same group of guards that had been punished that morning; they had not seen her, as Mai and Vivian were sitting in a perfect cocoon of branches and leaves that hid them from view.

They had been stripped of their armor and even from here she could see thin red lines seeping through the backs of their simple shirts. They were conversing quietly among themselves, halting a few feet away to make sure they were alone; although Mai had no idea of what they were talking of they looked distinctly troubled. As they came closer, however, Mai recognized the voice of black-haired guard she had spoken to that morning and she held up a hand to make sure Vivian kept quiet.

"…Think it's safe to talk," said an older man with a beard, relaxing. "I don't see Gurimo or any of the others. Now then, Corda lad, go ahead and speak."

"Will the captain be all right?" asked the black-haired guard promptly.

Another guard, one with curling ginger hair, shook his head. "Former captain, Corda—Gurimo is our captain now. To answer that question, though, Raphael will be fine. Fifty lashes is not exactly a walk in the garden, but it's recoverable. That man's been trapped under trees before and even traveled three days before on a broken leg, he'll be all right."

"I'm more concerned about Alister, to be honest," said the bearded man, and the other men in the group who had not yet spoken nodded in agreement.

"Jethro, he's had it long in coming," retorted the ginger-haired guard, and Mai realized that she recognized him as the one she'd seen that morning—Adias, if she was not much mistaken. "We've all warned him about mouthing off to the prince, and even Raphael cautioned him. It's his own fault," he continued, though he sounded as if he thought the complete opposite.

"Unstringing him, though…that was far too severe of a punishment. You heard that scream when they started on him, you saw the state Alister was in when they finished with him. Raphael had to practically carry him back into the guardhouse," replied another man with long tawny hair, looking grim.

"I know it, Faust, but what else can we do? We all foresaw this coming the moment Alister started mouthing off to the prince. It was only a matter of time before it came back to bite him."

"What exactly is unstringing an archer?" asked Corda slowly. "I've only just gotten done being a squire, you know, but I never had a chance to ask about all the different punishments."

Mai frowned. She had tried asking Jean Claude that question several times that day, but he'd always steered the conversation in a different direction. She noticed Vivian was paying special attention to the conversation now, her eyes narrowed and her face clouded.

Jethro and the other men exchanged troubled glances.

"To unstring a bow, you remove the bowstring—the means by which it is able to fire an arrow," Jethro said at last. "To unstring an archer you make it impossible for him to use a bow and arrow ever again. They take both hands of the archer and break them. All the bones in the fingers, hand, wrist, and even the forearm are broken…sometimes several times in the same place. You may as well cut off the archer's hands for all the good they'll be able to do after this punishment."

Corda paled.

"I did not say it was pleasant," said Jethro tiredly.

Mai looked away, staring down at her hands. No wonder Alister had looked so alarmed by that punishment; to suffer such a thing, especially since he likely did not know how to wield any other weapon…Mai's own hands twitched and she subconsciously brought them closer. She still did not like either Raphael or Alister, but the image of Valon's horrified face flashed through her mind and she felt guilty that she had done nothing to prevent this.

She watched as the guards moved off, apparently having heard someone else coming along the path, and then she turned to Vivian. "Talk to me, Vivian," she said grimly. "I saw that look on your face. What is it you're thinking about?"

"…I mentioned it to you this morning that Alister and Raphael basically told me that if Jean Claude had been captured they would not help him, right?"

Mai frowned deeply. "You're thinking they were involved in the coup-d'état?" she asked. She remembered Valon's outraged voice adamantly denying that they would ever do such a thing, and while she had no reason to trust Raphael or Alister she did believe Valon.

"Not entirely," admitted the black-haired woman. "I mean, everything is pointing to that, but…I don't know, it's like I've got the feeling there was more to it. Like there's some piece of the puzzle we're missing…it's as if Jean Claude had done something to them all that made them angry. I expressed this concern to you as well."

"I'm wondering that myself," said Mai grimly, rising to her feet. The world swayed and she had to lean against the tree trunk. "But at the moment it seems like there will be nothing further to do. We will have to just wait and see what happens here. Hopefully all the guards involved have learned a lesson and they'll start cooperating with their prince."

"I know they likely have, but I'm still bothered," said Vivian. "Why keep guards that plainly don't like you and plotted to overthrow you?"

"Maybe it's because the castle is short-handed," Mai said, starting back down the path. She was feeling oddly exhausted and wondered idly how such a wound could wear her out. "Remember, Jean Claude had to banish a good portion of his guards and servants, as well as magic users."

"Yes, I know that—but Highness, how could Jean Claude have subdued these men into working for him?" she replied. "They don't seem like they fear death, so what did he do to keep these men from deserting or acting out? I mean, yes, a group finally rebelled, but why haven't they done so earlier?"

Mai saw the entrance to the castle and quickened her pace. "I don't know, Vivian, but frankly at the moment I'm too tired to think about this," she said. "We'll ask Jean Claude about it later, but all I want to do now is sleep."

Vivian shot her a concerned look. "It's not even nightfall."

"I know," she replied, another wave of exhaustion rolling through her. "I know I've lost some blood and this wound isn't exactly a paper cut, but I shouldn't be this tired."

"I can answer that. You're stressed out," said Vivian reassuringly. "I'll take you back to your room now and you can get some sleep. You'll be better soon enough, but you did a lot today and you were in a high stress environment for the better part of a week. For now, let's focus on getting you better—then we'll worry about what's going on around here."

* * *

><p>A week and a half passed by sluggishly. Mai for the most part slept through it, her shoulder healing slowly but surely. Her dreams, however, were peppered with shadows and voices she'd never heard, as well as seeing things that she could not tell if they were memories or visions. The nightmares often had Vivian rouse from a sound sleep to check on her, but when Mai tried to recount what these dreams were she found she could not remember entirely what they were about.<p>

Jean Claude tended to hover about her room during this time. After being so sure that Mai was recovering he fretted that she was sleeping so much, likely it was because Mai had gone touring the kingdom after regaining consciousness. Vivian had politely but firmly chased him away from Mai's room and forbade anyone from bringing up her ordeal until Mai had recovered; she sensed that it would only stress Mai out more if she thought on the matter, so her orders were to rest and not to think of what happened.

Mai was grateful for that, as she was still uncertain about the whole mess with Jou. Whenever she thought of him her heart would clench and she was torn over whether she was angry with him or if she was willing to give him a second chance, should he return to the castle to find her.

She debated on whether she should talk to Vivian on the subject—and in fact was dying to, as she had so much on her mind about the whole thing and Vivian offered sound advice on this sort of thing—but whenever she thought of him she only remembered glowing red eyes and a snarl that chilled her. As this was a common sight in her nightmares as well, Mai chose to say nothing that would remind her of it.

She did not ask any further about Raphael or Alister, as she felt she had done what she could to spare them from death and had repaid her debt to Valon for saving her. She also sensed neither would be entirely receptive to her even if she was at full health and chose to seek them out, so that was the end of that matter. As for the coup d'état, she also let that matter rest. It was high time she stop worrying over things that were not her business anyways.

At the end of that week, though, Mai was starting to heal and was able to stay awake longer. The nightmares finally began to fade, though Jou and the shadows still lurked in them, but she was able to get through the night without waking up screaming. Her shoulder was no longer so tender and her strength was returning; within another week Mai would be able to wear normal dresses again and she would be able to start exploring the kingdom.

Mai might have been able to settle back down into a normal routine of sorts if she had been given enough time—but then she received a visit from the last person she had been expecting and everything she'd tried to forget came rushing back.

* * *

><p>It was the sound of her window opening that first dragged her out of the deep sleep she'd fallen into and she shifted uncomfortably. Vivian was likely opening a window, but why would she be doing that? It was neither hot nor stuffy in here…she did not open her eyes, however, and instead focused on returning to sleep.<p>

A warm hand gently rested itself on Mai's injured shoulder and, after a brief pause, it withdrew. A sharp and horrified gasp broke the silence of the room. "Oh Mai," a man's familiar voice breathed, sounding both miserable and distressed. "Did I do this?"

Mai's eyes snapped open and she sat up, scrambling backwards on the bed and nearly falling off. She clutched the blankets to her and stared, her eyes rounding in horror when she saw who was standing by her bed. It was not possible and yet she was looking at him.

Jou had been caught off guard by her abrupt movement and jumped, his red eyes widening comically as he stepped back. He relaxed and looked relieved. "You're okay," he said, his voice shaky. "I was so worried…are you going to be okay? I was so scared that I'd—"

"Jou, what are you doing here?" she hissed, suddenly angry and afraid. She had just gotten over this, why did he have to come back now? It was not even the new moon yet, how had he regained his semi-human form? He was outside Yugi's barrier, he should be a dragon right now!

"Mai, I need to give you something," he said, rummaging at his side for something she could not see.

"No," she said, her voice flat and cold. She straightened up even as Jou looked at with surprise and she controlled the impulse to flinch. "No, Jou. I don't want anything more from you. Get out," she continued, pointing to the window.

Jou looked incredibly hurt and guilty. "Mai, please," he said, his voice holding the slightest trace of a whine to it. "Please, you gotta believe me, I didn't even know what—!"

"I don't care," she hissed venomously. "I want nothing to do with you. Get out before I scream."

"Mai, please," he begged, stepping closer.

Mai moved backwards on her bed. "Jou, I don't want to hear it," she said, her voice starting to rise. She gripped a part of her nightgown and moved it away from the bandages on her shoulder, allowing the man to see the extent of her injuries. "I don't want anything to do with you. It's only because you saved me countless times that I do not immediately call for the guards, but if you don't leave now I will call them."

Jou visibly flinched at the sight of the bandages but did not back away. "Mai, I need you to hear me out. Please, I need to tell you something important about what happened that night," he said, leaning over the bed to get closer.

The image of glowing, bloodthirsty red eyes and the echo of a snarl flashed through her mind and before she'd even realized she'd moved she slapped Jou's face. "_Get away from me!"_ she shrieked.

Jou stumbled backward, tripping over his tail and hitting the floor in a crumpled heap. He sat up and one of his taloned hands reached for the growing red mark on his cheek, shooting her a stunningly heartbroken look. "Mai…"

"I won't say it again, Jou. Remove yourself from this room before I scream for the guards," she said, her voice cracking. She pointed to the open window viciously. "Take whatever it is you want to give me with you and get out. _NOW._"

Jou's eyes lit with white-hot pain and his stricken features were absolutely heartbreaking to look at; Mai found it difficult to keep looking at him. He stared at her with that broken expression before his gaze shifted. He rose slowly to his feet, his tail curling between his legs and his shoulders slumping. "Okay," he said so quietly that she barely heard it. "Okay, Mai. I'm going."

He perched on her windowsill, hesitating for the longest moment before he turned to look back at her, ruby eyes grief-stricken. "Mai, for what it's worth…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he said, his voice cracking, and for one moment Mai felt the irresistible urge to run to him and to comfort him. "I can't even articulate how sorry I am that I attacked you. Please…I…just know that I…"

He trailed off, shook his head in resignation, and then offered one last wan smile as he sprang from her window, before Mai could react; when she finally disentangled herself from the sheets and ran to the open window Jou had already disappeared into the night.

Mai stared at the clear night sky, searching for any sign of Jou. She was still at the window when her bedroom door opened and Vivian's sleepy but concerned voice asked, "Are you all right, princess? I heard shouting…"

"I'm fine, Vivian," she said shortly, not turning around. "I just had another nightmare, that's all. I'm getting some fresh air and then going back to sleep—go on back to your quarters. I'll be fine."

There was a pause and then she heard the door gently close.

Mai stayed at her window for a few more moments before calmly striding to her bed. She sat on the edge for a long minute before she abruptly turned and buried her head in the pillows, using them to muffle the sound of her sobs.


	22. Shadows and Suspicions

_Ohh I'm getting better and better at doing this sort of thing, guys! _

_So...not much to say about this chapter, really. There are cameos of characters from the series (and as a hint they appear in the first portion of the chapter), so kudos if anyone recognizes them!_

* * *

><p>"I warned you, cursed child."<p>

Jou, having just landed in the clearing in front of the Turtle Shop, violently flinched when Yami's calm voice greeted him. He did not look up, however, and instead studied his feet. It was getting lighter all the while and Jou knew the sun was rising—in only minutes he'd return to being a fully fledged dragon. The familiar fairy lights that had been there to light the path were gone, but as they had been gone for a week already Jou was not surprised; Yugi had been behind that spell and at the moment his magic was so weak that it could not maintain any of the magic he had cast.

He heard the grass rustle and knew Yami was making his way across the clearing. He still would not look at the wizard, however, and turned his back on the spirit as he folded his wings over his shoulders.

"I did warn you of what would await you when you volunteered to go," Yami continued, sounding neither sympathetic nor scolding. His voice was matter-of-fact, as if announcing that the sky was blue. "What happened to her has understandably turned her against you."

Jou turned away and stalked to the shadow of a large oak tree, curling against the tree trunk and wrapping his tail around himself. He buried his head in his arms and huddled against the tree. "Just leave me alone, Yami," he said hollowly, voice muffled by his arms. "Just…just go."

Yami said nothing for several long minutes and for a moment Jou believed he had gone back into the inn. Then a cold hand gently rested itself on his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I knew what the outcome of my little errand would be, and yet I allowed you to go. For that, Jou, I apologize."

It was the first time Jou remembered Yami using his name and he looked up with surprise, but the spirit was already halfway across the clearing and returning to the doorway of the inn.

Téa had come out, rubbing her eyes sleepily as she watched Yami approach. The rest of her caravan had decided to leave after the attack Jou had made on Mai—and, understandably, after he had transformed back into a fully fledged dragon, it was not an unsurprising decision. Téa had remained behind, however, because of her concern for Yugi.

Yami did not hold it against her. He was worried as well, though he would never show it—but he knew what was coming that very morning and he had to worry of other important matters. "Jou."

The blond man looked back at him wordlessly, his ruby eyes filled with an aching pain.

"I am sorry for what transpired and I know all you wish to do is grieve, but I have one last favor to ask from you," said Yami gravely. "As we have discussed, Téa must be taken to the thief's lair. In only moments this place will not be safe for her and I do not wish to see either of you hurt. I'd rather not send her to Bakura, but there is no other place in the forest that she can hide."

"I said it before and I'm saying it again—I am not leaving!" Téa protested, planting her hands on her hips. "I won't leave you to fight alone! Yami, I can help—!"

"It is not because I believe you can't fight that I send you away," said Yami curtly. "I do not need proof of your bravery and loyalty, as I have seen it from you in the past. No, I send you away because Yugi would hate to see you harmed."

Téa flinched, her mutinous expression immediately vanishing. She fidgeted in place and twisted the hem of her shirt. "But…what about you?" she asked at last. "If you're right about what's coming, who's going to help you?"

Yami smirked, and for the briefest of seconds the Millennium Puzzle flashed. "You forget who you are speaking to."

He looked to Jou once again when she said nothing. "The spell I cast to make you temporarily human is fast waning. Take Téa before the time on it runs out—the less noticeable you are, the better."

Jou nodded tightly and rose to his feet, holding his hand out to Téa. The girl cast Yami one last worried look before she surprised them all and hugged him. "Stay safe, Yami," she said, and then she hurried to where Jou was waiting.

Yami watched as Jou carefully gathered Téa into his arms before taking a few running steps, leaping into the air and spreading his wings to fly. He vanished into the trees without turning back once. Yami had no concerns for Jou abruptly attacking Téa, nor did he fear the girl would mistrust him—she was one of the few people who believed Jou had not deliberately attacked Mai.

At that thought however, Yami's face darkened.

The attack had been sudden. Yami himself had not seen it, as he had been resting in the Millennium Puzzle; he had known Yugi had taken off the Puzzle and had he so desired he could have materialized, but the events of that day had exhausted him and he had decided a brief rest was in order.

What he had felt, though, was the sudden pressure in the air as Yugi's barrier had been violently broken and the cloying aftertaste of Shadow magic.

Whenever Yugi's barrier was broken the magic involved exploded outward, away from Yugi, in order to protect him from receiving any magical backlash from the broken spell; it was an invisible force but one that could knock over several grown men (and it always annoyed Yugi, as he was usually in his shop when the barrier was broken and he would have to clean it up afterward). It never hurt, though—if anything, it felt like an overly hot gust of air. Yugi also received a headache whenever his barrier was broken, but beyond that no harm had ever befallen him.

Whoever had broken the barrier that night, however, had known how to use Shadow magic to redirect the backlash. Instead of flying outward, as it normally had in the past, the magic had rebounded inward and the boy had received the full brunt of the backlash. To make matters worse, the damage had struck a serious blow against Yugi's magical core.

The one thing that had spared the wizard from having his magical core and his soul completely shattered was Bakura's quick actions. The thief had sensed something amiss and, realizing it was Shadow magic that was attacking Yugi, had put the Millennium Puzzle back on the boy to shield him from any further harm. Shadow magic could not do direct harm to whoever held a Shadow item unless it was a Shadow game.

Yami grudgingly had to admit that he owed the thief a favor.

Yugi's soul had retreated deep into the Millennium Puzzle in order to heal; Yami could barely feel the wizard's presence inside the item and the wizard had yet to answer any of his calls. The damage was not permanent, thankfully, but even so it would take some time before Yugi fully healed—no potions or healing water could undo that damage, and so Yugi would have to recover on his own. That was why Yami now had full control of Yugi's body (not that he enjoyed the reason behind this newfound freedom).

He watched as the sky above him began gaining red streaks through it, the sun starting to rise higher over the trees. "Red sky at morning," he began softly, chuckling and shaking his head ruefully.

He sobered, and then after a moment of reflection closed his eyes and sought out Yugi's presence. It was no easy task, as Yugi had retreated deep inside the Puzzle and was not immediately at the surface of his soul. Yami waited patiently, however, and in a matter of minutes he felt a familiar presence stir briefly in the back of his mind.

_Yugi?_ he called hopefully. The other wizard had not spoken once since the attack and he could feel the bone-deep, aching pain that Yugi was in. Even so, he hoped to hear Yugi's voice, even if it was a whimper of pain—anything that was an indicator that Yugi was all right and on the mend.

There was no reply and Yami's shoulders slumped for the briefest of seconds.

He heard the sound of whinnying and his eyes snapped open just as the armored men, numbering seven in total, rode into the clearing. This was why he had sent Téa and Jou away—he had known that these guards were coming, as Yugi's barrier had been the only reason they had not been spotted by the prince before now.

In addition to the man directly in front of this group were two other riders, one short and squat while the other was tall. They had painted one half of their helmets, so that if put together they formed a bizarre sort of mask; a bizarre set of twins, Yami guessed. Another had pulled his helmet down to hide the upper half of his face, but one could still see the lower half and his eyes; one man had no helmet at all and had short white hair that stuck up in a style reminiscent of a broom; the last two guards had their helmets completely hiding their faces.

They bore the insignia of the castle on their shields—a black dragon taking flight over a tower—and Yami watched emotionlessly as they filed into the clearing in a semi-circle around the shop. The tallest and most muscled of them dismounted to stride forward, and while he certainly resembled Raphael in physique he knew it was not that man; Raphael did not carry himself with the cocky arrogance this man was displaying.

Sure enough, when the helmet was removed it revealed a black-haired man whose hair came down to his chin and flared out in four spikes behind his head. "Are you really the wizard who lives here?" he called, sneering at Yami. "You don't look like much."

"Appearances can be misjudged," replied Yami mildly. "It would serve you well not to underestimate me. I believe it safe to assume you are here for a reason."

The man did not seem shaken by how calm Yami was. Instead, he straightened up importantly and smirked at him. Yami was sorely tempted to laugh at the sheer amount of arrogance the man was carrying in his demeanor. "By the order of Prince Jean Claude, you are to be exiled from this kingdom. You must leave immediately—that means now, short stuff. If you play nice, maybe even offer the right price, I might consider letting you pack a couple things before you go."

Yami did not move when the other men in the clearing snickered and laughed, instead raising his eyebrow. "Suppose I decide that I am comfortable where I am and won't obey you," he said, folding his arms. "What then?"

Here the man's smirk grew. "We get to play rough with you," he replied, patting the sword at his side. "So then, my friend, what's it going to be? You're either staying or going."

Clearly this man and his companions were _woefully_ uneducated when it came to wizards. They truly believed they had the upper hand, when they were facing a wizard whose magical potential easily dwarfed their abilities with a sword? Either they were under a spell or they really were _that_ stupid. He repressed another urge to laugh.

He made eye contact and said, "What is your name?"

The man sneered. "You want to know who it is that is throwin' you out of your home?"

"Hardly. I ask because I sincerely doubt you would be fond of the name I desire to call you, O Pompous One."

The man bristled indignantly, but he puffed his chest out importantly and lifted his chin proudly. "Ushio," he said, and Yami once more had to repress the urge to laugh at Ushio's posturing. "So, short stuff? Are you going to cooperate?"

When Yami did not immediately reply Ushio's smirk grew and he strode forward, leaning down so that he was in Yami's face. "Y'know, you've got a nice little building here. I bet it has all sorts of interesting things in it…I also bet my men would love to find out what sorts of goodies you have in there. And it would be a shame," he continued, gesturing to the inn, "that your little shop burned down because you didn't cooperate. Who knows—if you give a small fee I may be able to talk my men out of looting it."

Yami's eyes narrowed and the very first spike of irritation flew through him. Yami personally cared little for the building behind them, but Yugi loved the Turtle Shop and it would devastate him if anything happened to it.

"Wretched little fool, you have chosen the wrong time to provoke a fight," he murmured, barely audible. He already felt the shadows climbing around his ankles and Yami forced them down.

Ushio frowned, not noticing the shadows pooling beneath him. "What did you say?"

Yami straightened up, causing Ushio to back away. "I surrender," he said calmly, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. "I am outmatched and not in any position to cast spells," he continued, gesturing vaguely indoors. "My staff is inside. I am, for the most part, defenseless."

Ushio's smirk grew. "Good," he said.

The men behind him laughed and one of them called, "And what of the shop, Ushio?"

"That depends on our friend here, Pandora," replied Ushio. "Whether he comes back to an untouched building or a pile of rubble depends on the gold he offers us."

Yami shrugged. "This place is not prosperous in that regard. I have little to no gold to offer," he said calmly. "However…I do have something you might be interested in."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

Yami gained a smirk of his own as the wind began to blow. The summer months were ending and autumn was approaching, so the wind held a bite to it; he caught a large maple leaf that was flying by and examined it idly. "I offer a game," he said pleasantly, looking up at last.

The same white haired man who had called out earlier—Pandora—guffawed. "Like we'll actually play one with you?" he asked jeeringly. "Who are you trying to fool?"

Yami's eyebrows arched and he held the leaf in front of them, plainly visible to all in the clearing. He then crushed it in his hand and held up the gold coin that had appeared as a result. The guards all drew in a collective breath, half afraid and half amazed—it seemed they had finally remembered who it was they were bullying.

"My game will offer you plenty of gold—and yes, dear Ushio, it is real gold," he said, noticing how Ushio was eyeing him skeptically. He tossed the gold piece to the guard, who caught it and began examining it with narrowed eyes. "I would not be so foolish as to bribe you with fake coins."

"I thought you said you couldn't do magic without your staff!" called one of the "twins", looking nervous.

"This is a different brand of magic that I use, one that cannot directly cause harm," he replied, and the men relaxed again. "So, Ushio, what say you? Will you play my game?"

Ushio grinned unpleasantly. "Of course," he said. He was far too complacent, Yami thought with disgust. He was so certain that the wizard could do nothing to him without the staff to channel the magic through. It probably had never occurred to the fool that Yami did not need Yugi's staff.

After all, Yami had his own brand of magic.

The wind began blowing fiercely, catching leaves of all shades and sizes and blowing them in a whirlwind in the center of the clearing; the leaves fell in a large pile onto a large tree stump, looking perfectly undisturbed.

Yami gestured for Ushio to follow him and made his way to this spot, sitting on his knees in front of the stump. "Come, Ushio, sit," he said. Once Ushio had arrived Yami drew out a simple dagger. "I would assume you have one as well?" he asked.

The black-haired man drew out a large hunting knife in response. "What do we need knives for?" he said, watching Yami intently.

Yami did not reply, instead slipping one of his hands into the pile of leaves and gesturing for Ushio to do so as well; once the man had, Yami made eye contact and cleared his throat. "This pile has leaves of three differing sizes. The largest signifies gold, the second largest silver, and the smallest bronze," he began. "The game is simple. We take turns stabbing the leaves with our knives, all the while keeping our hand underneath this pile. Whoever has the most leaves at the end wins."

The other guards had gathered round as well, eyeing the leaves curiously. At Yami's words, however, another man said indignantly, "But that earns gold for Ushio, not us!"

Yami raised an eyebrow. "Your leader plays for all of you. However many leaves he stabs is however much gold you yourselves will have at the end. I am also a fair player, so the gold he wins will stay regardless of who wins."

Ushio snorted. "That's easy!" he said, looking oddly relieved. "I thought that this would be more challenging!"

"There is, however, one warning I must give," Yami said, and the shadows began circling all of them. "If you cheat in any way shape or form, Ushio, you must play a penalty game. That goes for those who are watching as well, as you all have a stake in this game. This is the only time I will warn you—after we start playing, you will be on your own."

"Yeah, yeah, let's do this already!" said Ushio impatiently, his free hand adjusting its grip on the knife in his hand.

Yami smiled coldly at him, the Eye glowing brightly on his forehead and shadows beginning rise. "Then let us begin—let us play my game of Shadows."

* * *

><p>"Captain! <em>Captain!<em>"

Raphael looked up as Corda burst into the room, frowning and setting the bowl on the table. He had woken up only an hour ago and had just gotten done tending to Alister's arms—which was not a pleasant or easy task, as even the slightest touch inflicted agony on his friend. His own injuries tugged uncomfortably, the skin only just starting to close over the injuries sustained by his whipping.

"I'm not the captain anymore, Corda," he replied tiredly. "Gurimo is."

While Mai had been recovering from her own ordeal over the past week, the group of men that had been with him in the forest had spent this time healing as well. While they had been put back on duty days ago all of them preferred to stay out of sight of both Gurimo and Jean Claude; their new captain was fond of giving them tasks that caused the injuries sustained by the whip to reopen and Jean Claude was an unpredictable man to begin with.

Alister stayed out of sight of everyone, often taking refuge inside the stables or in the upper level of the guardhouse. With both his arms broken beyond repair it was safest for the archer to stay out of the way. The small group had limited knowledge of how to help him, and since they were all barred from seeing a healer they had no choice but to try and keep the infection out of the wounds. So far they were not entirely succeeding.

Thankfully, there were other guards sympathetic with the group's plight and had picked up the slack in their absence; while nearly three quarters of the guards in the castle were men Jean Claude had brought back with him, the remaining men were made up of forest folk and castle guards who had not been banished. It was these men that were, for all intents and purposes, shielding the small group from being noticed any further.

Corda took a moment to regain his breath, staggering in and shutting the door behind him. Jethro, who had been conversing quietly with Adias and Faust, took note of the boy and said with marked concern, "Corda, lad, what's happened? It's far too early in the morning to look so panicked and you're supposed to be on sentry duty."

Raphael noticed it as well. The teenager was pale, save for patches of pink in his cheeks, and his green eyes were wide. He was half panting as well—he must have run all the way back here from his post. "Corda?"

"The men that the prince dispatched yesterday have returned," said Corda, still gasping for breath.

Raphael frowned. He had remembered seeing the group leaving yesterday for the forest—all of them men Jean Claude had brought with him back to the castle two months ago—but had not understood why they were leaving. He had tried asking around, but as Gurimo would not tell him anything he had been in the dark as to what they had been up to. "They've already come back?"

"Something's wrong with them, Cap—Raphael," said Corda urgently, correcting himself when he noticed Raphael about to speak. "It's something I've never seen, it's like they're all drunk! But they're gray and…and…!"

"Corda, hold on a moment," said Jethro sternly. "Calm down and talk sensibly."

Corda had been about to start speaking again when they all heard it, a burst of hysteric-laced laughter that filtered in from an open window and one that sent chills running down their spines. They all hurried to the window, Raphael in the lead, and peered outside.

The men were looking disoriented in the sunlight, swaying drunkenly where they stood; two had yet to dismount from their horses and blinked owlishly around them, and one had even sat on the ground. Raphael felt the hairs on the back of his neck start to rise when he noticed that their skin and even their clothes held a gray cast to it and their eyes had sunk in, dark rings under them. For all intents and purposes they looked like walking corpses.

The hysterical laughter was coming from one man who had seated himself in a pile of hay, throwing it in the air. Raphael recognized this one as Ushio, a proud man who had grated on all of their nerves at one point. He looked almost fanatic where he sat, uncaring of the mud he was sitting in. He had been wearing armor when he left, but now there was not a trace of it. "Gold, gold, it's everywhere," he babbled, a stupid grin stretched across his face. "Lookit, so much gold!"

Raphael recoiled when he caught sight of Ushio's vacant gaze and black eyes, backing away from the window hurriedly.

"What in God's name happened to them?" murmured Jethro, looking horrified. "I didn't like them, but even so I wouldn't wish this on them…they're bewitched."

A terrible thought hit Raphael then and he strode to the door. "I've got a pretty good feeling I know what happened," he said grimly, stepping outside. He crossed the courtyard to where Ushio was and knelt in front of him. "Ushio?" he asked, putting a hand on his shoulder (and recoiling once again when he felt how cold and clammy the flesh was beneath his hand).

The man looked at him blearily, but seconds later he paled. "No! No, get back!" he cried in panic, shoving Raphael away and fumbling at his own side. "Get away from me! Be gone, monster! Get away! NO!"

Raphael realized Ushio was going for his sword and backed away, but Ushio's hands came up empty—the sword was no longer there. Raphael did notice, however, that there was a piece of parchment sticking out of the front of Ushio's shirt.

The moment Raphael had moved away the black-haired man had resumed tossing hay into the air. Realizing what this meant, Raphael moved to the man's side and gingerly caught the parchment between his fingers, taking care not to move into Ushio's line of sight. Once he had the parchment in his hands he unfolded it and read the short message.

He dropped the parchment onto Ushio's lap seconds later, feeling suddenly ill. He knew now where they'd gone.

"What is going on here?"

Raphael heard Jean Claude coming and began crossing the courtyard. He had no desire to talk to the prince right now, still far too angry at him to be able to talk civilly to him—and given his currently precarious position with the prince he felt that staying out of sight of him was for the best.

He made it back inside just as Jean Claude and another group of guards arrived and Raphael shut the door behind him. He did not bother looking out the window again. He knew what had happened to them now—he had not mistaken the handwriting on the parchment, the message written in ink darker than night.

"Jean Claude, you certifiable idiot," he muttered, shaking his head and ignoring the querying expressions of the men around him.

* * *

><p>Mai woke up that morning to the sound of hysterical laughter filtering in through her window and she sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes and slipping out of bed to find out what was happening. She winced at the headache she had—her mother had often warned her about going to bed crying and now she remembered why.<p>

She leaned out the window and looked down into the courtyard, trying to find the source of the noise, and located it a few minutes later. There were a small group of men who were standing idly around, and though Mai could not tell from here it seemed to her like they were drunk. She frowned at that—how much had they had to get this drunk?

She heard a door open from a nearby building and watched Raphael make his way to this group, stopping in front of one man who was throwing hay in the air. Mai let out an inadvertent gasp when the drunken man reached for his sword, but to her relief it seemed he had lost it and Raphael was able to back away safely.

Her eyes narrowed when she saw Raphael carefully lean over and take something from the other man, leaning further out the window to see what it was; it was hard to tell what it was from here, but it almost looked like a slip of parchment.

As she leaned out her palms brushed against odd grooves in the wood of the sill and she leaned back, puzzled. Granted, the room had been repaired after Jou had burst through, but there was still some sign of damage here and there—and the windowsill was no exception. She could still see the places where Jou's talons had dug in when he had taken her.

Her breath caught when she realized that these marks were far too fresh. They had been made recently…they weren't even a day old…

She flinched at the memory of Jou's heartbroken face from the night before and stepped away from the window. So it had not been a dream after all…she had hoped it had been and the tear tracks she could still feel on her face had been the result of a nightmare, not because Jou had come to see her last night.

"You heard it too, then?"

Mai jumped when Vivian appeared alongside her, hastily placing her hands on the sill to cover the fresh marks in the wood. "Yes…what's going on?" she said, recovering her composure and looking back outside. Jean Claude had arrived and with another group of guards was herding the disoriented looking men inside.

"Oh I suspect that they went into town and got themselves drunk," said Vivian, frowning at that. "I can't say that I approve of that, but boys will be boys."

She cast a sideways glance at Mai and said, "And on that note, Highness, care to explain why there are fresh talon marks on your windowsill?"

Mai turned to face Vivian, whose arms were folded over her chest and who was now scowling. "It's from the dragon's attack?" Mai offered weakly.

Vivian's scowl deepened. "Highness, those are recently made. I'm not an idiot, I know fresh talon marks when I see them—and then there was the fact I heard you arguing with a _man_ last night. I know Jean Claude doesn't sound like that, so what exactly happened?"

Mai groaned. "Vivian, are you sure you weren't half asleep?" she asked, heading for her trunk to find a dress to wear. "I mean, we all know you sleep walk and it's entirely possible—"

"For me to have imagined Jou?"

Mai drew in a sharp breath and stiffened.

"I mean, I know I have an active imagination, but I find it hard for me to even dream up a half-human, half-dragon," Vivian continued severely. "And I'm not sure I could have named him Jou, if that's his name."

"…So you were faking being sleepy last night when you came in here?" Mai said, finally turning around to face her.

"Of course. I heard you start yelling and came to find out what was happening. It was hard for me to sleep through it, honestly. I'm sure you could have woken half the castle if you had gotten any louder." Vivian took another step closer and frowned at her. "When you told me what happened to you last week, I didn't push you on what you were omitting because you had just gotten back and you were really in no state to tell me then. I'm asking now—what aren't you telling me?"

Mai debated on lying once more and shoving all her thoughts around the cursed man under the rug. She was in no mood to discuss Jou, she really wasn't…

Her eyes fell to the grooves in the windowsill and the image of Jou's heartbroken face once more came to mind, heard his pleading voice that begged her to listen…

_I'm sorry, Mai…I'm so sorry…_

"Let's take a ride, Vivian. A quick one around the castle, nothing too long or tirign. I need to get it off my chest—I've been bottling this in long enough and I need your advice," she said at last.

Vivian nodded tightly. "I'll help you get dressed," she said, reaching for the sleeveless white dress that was sitting on a nearby chair.

* * *

><p>Jean Claude brandished the parchment at the cloaked man. "<em>A poor attempt to capture me, little princeling. Better luck next time,<em>" he read aloud, visibly angry. "You assured me the wizard was taken care of and that he could not cast spells!"

"I never said anything about the wizard using Shadow magic," replied the man boredly, eyeing the guards in the throne room that were looking up at them drunkenly. "The Shadow game was clever, the penalty inflicted based on their own greed. It seems he thrives on twisted justice. Magnificently thought out, but the end result is…less than desirable. I would have made them Shadows instantly instead of giving them this temporary state."

"You were the one who told me it was safe to send them!" said Jean Claude, pacing angrily and ignoring the other man's musings.

"I did, didn't I?" came the lazy reply.

"Well where is he now?" snarled the prince. "I don't want this wizard running around, free to cause chaos wherever he goes! I want him taken care of—as you promised me! If you are not capable of that I will find someone else to—!"

He yelped as the cloaked man instantly whipped out a golden scepter, pulling the bottom half away to reveal a blade. The blade was pointed at Jean Claude's throat, the eyes underneath the hood dark with malice.

"Keep in mind that I am not one you order around like a common servant," he said icily. "I may be in your employ, but I care little for you and frankly I'm bored of this game you're playing. If you desire not to lose what little I have left of my tolerance for you, _shut up_."

When Jean Claude said nothing further and hastily backed away, the cloaked figure sheathed the blade and redirected the scepter so that the head of it—a sphere with winged projections and an eye on its front—was pointed at the tallest of the men in front of him. The man seemed to be babbling about gold falling all around him, but he was ignored. "Tell me where the wizard went," he ordered.

The scepter glowed briefly and the man's eyes widened before dulling once again, the pupils dilating and his face slackening. "The wizard escaped into the woods," he recited, his voice completely devoid of emotion. "We lost sight of him and his shop vanished into thin air. There is nothing we could do."

"Fantastic!" said Jean Claude sarcastically, throwing his hands in the air. "I'm down seven men and have nothing to show for it, save for a bunch of blithering buffoons!"

"Yes, yes, what a tragedy," came the clearly bored reply. "This has been most beneficial to me, however."

"Beneficial to _you?_" Jean Claude repeated incredulously. "Why did you let me send them if you knew this would be the result?"

The figure grinned at him, twirling his Shadow item idly. "I needed to see what I was up against. The best way to do that is using live bait," he replied, deciding to omit the fact that he had cast a spell on the group to embolden them. He had, after all, needed to see what would happen if the wizard was goaded into a Shadow game—and the results were in his favor. If that was the best the wizard had to offer then there was nothing he needed to worry about.

He paused, looking at the entrance to the throne room. "Your dear princess approaches," he said conversationally. "I doubt you want her to see this."

Jean Claude swore, hurrying down the steps. "I don't care how you do it, fix this! I don't want her to know about this!" he said over his shoulder, leaving the room to cut Mai off.

He smirked once the prince had left. There was no real way to undo the effects from a Shadow game; there were few rules to wielding the Shadows, but one of them was that no one could tamper with a Shadow game that had already been played and ended. In order for the men in front of him to escape their penalty game, they would need to solve it on their own or risk becoming Shadows.

He lifted his own item in front of them, his smile growing as the shadows began creeping along the floor and gathering underneath the men. "You have served your purpose," he said, and he sent a large pulse of Shadow magic through the scepter. "Now be good little pawns and disappear."

All seven men abruptly collapsed, as if they were puppets whose strings had been cut. The shadows on the floor instantly swallowed their crumpled forms, leaving no trace of their presence anywhere.

He tucked the item into the specially made holster at his side and then turned on his heel to vanish. Should Jean Claude ask, the men had succumbed to the penalty game—that little fool would never know the difference.

* * *

><p>Mai had just about reached the throne room when Jean Claude intercepted her. He was wearing nothing but a long shirt and a pair of pants—most likely nightclothes. "Mai, dearest! How delightful to see you!" he called, hurrying to her at once. "I had feared so greatly for your well-being and to see you out and about does my heart good. Would you like to have breakfast with me?"<p>

"I'm afraid not," she said politely, distracted. "I was thinking of taking a ride in the area around the castle. I've been cooped up for so long and the weather is pleasant, so—"

"Oh, well in that case I'll join you," he said promptly, beaming at her. "Poor dear, I'm afraid I've been a terrible host and I haven't been doing a proper job of being your escort."

Namely because Mai was still afraid to talk about Jou, she nodded. "Very well," she said, feeling a familiar pair of brown eyes lock onto her. "I ride out in half an hour. Join me then."

"Of course!" he said brightly. "I shall change into something more appropriate, as I'm still in my nightclothes. Some of the men got drunk and I had to…deal with them, more or less."

Mai curtsied and then walked to the main hall, making a beeline for the double doors that led outside. "Vivian, get that scowl off your face," she murmured.

"Don't think you're getting out of this," retorted the other woman. "You get a brief reprieve, but I _will_ find out what's really going on if I have to tie you to a chair."

"I know, I know," she said irritably, blinking against the sunlight. Her eyes went to the stables and she let her vision adjust to the sunlight before she crossed the courtyard. "I can't keep putting Jean Claude off, though. I'm sure that the poor thing might explode from anxiety if I keep stalling a visit."

Mai made it to the entrance of the stables and was pleasantly surprised to find that the stables were much cleaner than she expected, the scent of hay, oats, and leather masking other odors. "Is there anyone near here?" she called, looking around hopefully.

She was less than thrilled when Raphael leaned out of a nearby stall, an identical frown making its way onto his features when he saw her. "Can I help you with something, Princess?" he asked, the barest hint of annoyance coloring his words.

"I need my horse saddled, as well one for my lady in waiting. Jean Claude may also want his horse saddled," she replied. "We plan on taking a ride."

Raphael dipped his head and then left the stall, disappearing into the stables. As he turned his back on her, however, Mai caught sight of the same vivid red lines that had marked the backs of the men she'd seen one week ago and out of surprise she said, "Those wounds haven't healed yet? It's been a week since your punishment, they should not be still bleeding."

Raphael paused, turning back to face her. "With all due respect, Your Highness, I've had other things to tend to aside from my own injuries," he said quietly, and his eyes briefly flitted past her to something just inside the stable door. He turned around and continued into the building. "Your horse should be ready in a few moments."

As Raphael left another man slipped out from the shadow of the stables (the same place Raphael's gaze had briefly gone to) and she realized with a jolt it was Alister. His steps were half stumbling and though she could not yet see his face he seemed utterly exhausted. He must have caught her from the corner of his eyes because he paused and looked over at her.

Alister was wearing an overlarge tan long-sleeved shirt, one that almost dwarfed his body and ended just short of his knees; it had to be one of Raphael's, because she couldn't think of anyone else who would wear such a large shirt. A hole had been put into the tops of both cuffs of the shirt and a rope was looped through them, going around the back of Alister's neck and his arms folded in front of him. Makeshift slings for his now useless arms, she realized.

Her eyes went to Alister's incredibly pale and haggard face, and she took a startled step backward, because for one moment she could see the agony that lined Alister's features and even crept into his eyes; he had let his guard down in that one moment and she could see the sheer amount of suffering he was in.

In the next second, however, his face cleared and he lifted his chin proudly. "Highness," he said curtly, and then before she could call him back Alister was disappearing in the same direction that Raphael had gone.

"I would have thought that his pride would have been stomped out of him by now," said Vivian flatly, looking annoyed.

Mai was still remembering how much pain she'd seen on Alister's face and did not immediately answer.

Jean Claude arrived at the stables just as Raphael led three horses out from the interior of the stable, beaming at Mai happily. "Oh you have no idea how happy I am to see you moving about once more," he said to her. He saw Raphael and waved him over. "I'm looking forward to this ride. Raphael, be a good man and help us up, would you?"

Mai, however, put her foot in the stirrup of her saddle and brought herself onto her horse, completely at ease; although her shoulder had sent her a "friendly" reminder that it was still injured it was not nearly as bad as it was last week. Mai had always felt at ease on a horse—likely because of the freedom riding one gave—and she settled herself gracefully on her mount. "Raphael doesn't need to help me," she declared. "I can take care of myself."

Jean Claude looked visibly startled and Vivian had not seen it (she had been mounting her own horse), but for the briefest of seconds Mai saw a rare look of amusement cross Raphael's face. The prince cleared his throat and said, "Er, of course you don't need any assistance. Raphael, on second thought I can manage."

Raphael's amused look returned, this time with the barest hint of smugness, and Mai repressed bizarre the urge to smile. "As you wish, Your Majesty," he said simply, hiding the slight smile on his face and holding the reins of Jean Claude's mount.

The three of them had just mounted on their horses when Mai caught a glimpse of red hair in the upper level of the stables and she noticed Alister moving out of sight of the window. Her expression softened and she studied her hands for a moment. "Jean Claude?"

"Yes?" he asked, giving her a concerned frown when she made eye contact with him. "Why, whatever is the matter?"

"…Alister's arms are useless now, aren't they?" she said, glancing at Raphael. "I don't see any benefit in keeping him here in the castle. Perhaps you could allow him to return to the forest?"

Ryou had healing potion on hand, she knew. Maybe if Alister was allowed to go back he could find Ryou or Yugi (if neither of them had been killed already) and could have something done for his arms—anything to alleviate the pain she'd caught a brief glimpse of.

Jean Claude studied her for a long moment, and for the briefest of seconds Mai saw something that looked strangely like triumph move across his features. Then it was gone and he was looking pityingly at her. "Of course it would," he said. "You're so compassionate, Princess…Gurimo!" he called, looking around.

"You called, Your Majesty?" asked Gurimo from above them, hurrying from where he'd been at his post to lean over the wall and look down at them.

"I would like you and a few men to escort Alister back into the forest. The poor thing can't properly ride a horse with his arms the way they are," said Jean Claude. "I'd like him gone within the hour."

Gurimo paused, looking at first the prince before looking to Raphael with an unidentifiable expression. "Of course, Your Majesty," he replied after a brief pause, disappearing once again.

Jean Claude nodded to himself in satisfaction and wheeled the white horse around. "Now that that's been settled, let's head on out," he said cheerfully. "Rest assured, Princess, Alister will be taken care of."

Mai relaxed and turned her own horse to follow after him, but by doing so she caught a glimpse of Raphael's face and she stopped, staring in surprise—

"Come on, Princess," said Vivian impatiently. "We've got a lot to do today!"

Mai nodded slowly, turning away and following after her lady in waiting. She was not surprised that the black-haired woman was so impatient with her; she was likely dying to know what Jou's role in Mai's impromptu "vacation" was.

Even so, Mai could not shake the uneasy feeling that she had somehow done the wrong thing by mentioning Alister to the prince. The uneasiness grew when she remembered the look of fear that had been plainly visible on Raphael's face—and that was really what it had been, because Raphael had looked genuinely afraid when Mai had seen him.

_Oh quit worrying over nothing, Mai,_ she scolded herself abruptly, nudging her horse into a trot to catch up with Jean Claude and Vivian. Raphael was likely worried that Alister would only get hurt worse by the ride back into the forest; at this point she doubted anything worse could be done to Alister, but if he was one of the burly man's friends it was not wonder Raphael was so worried. She _really_ needed to quit projecting the worst in situations—everything would be fine.

* * *

><p>The ride lasted for about two hours. During that time Mai finally told Jean Claude what had happened to her in the forest; the story she told was vastly different than the one she had told when she had first returned. She felt Vivian's eyes boring intently into the back of her skull as she told the story and knew she would owe her lady in waiting an explanation in epic proportions.<p>

They had taken a trail that looped about the castle and had stopped on a small hill that overlooked the entrance; not even ten minutes into their ride Mai had seen a small group of people leave the castle and even from the distance she had been at she had recognized Alister, who seemed to be riding a draft horse (and she'd been surprised when she'd recognized the horse as the one she'd seen Raphael riding on her first day at the kingdom).

"I must admit, my dear, that I owe you an apology," Jean Claude said, looking at her with admiration. "I had initially thought that you would have been unable to take care of yourself while in that situation, but you had those men wrapped completely around your finger—but my word, that bear attack! Goodness, it was no wonder you were so frantic when we found you."

Mai repressed a wince at that when Vivian's scowl deepened. She'd be hearing about that lie later. "I've mentioned it before, Jean Claude—I'm a big girl and I know how to take care of myself. I do have you to thank for my untimely rescue," she said, smiling graciously at the man. "If it had not been for you I don't believe I would be here."

"I feared the worst when you were taken. My sword was unable to do anything to the beast that took you…but you escaped from it so easily and I can say that it was with great relief that I found you."

Mai frowned. Now was as good a time as any to bring up a topic she had been thinking over since she had encountered Kaiba in the forest clearing. "Jean Claude, tell me how you got the sword fashioned"

When the prince shot her a startled look Mai said, "I was tired on my first day at the kingdom and didn't think to ask then, but I heard a rumor that the master of the White Dragons does not give out weapons crafted from the scales of his dragon—I don't know why, of course," she added, deciding that the man did not need to know that the sword could kill one of Kaiba's dragons. "Even so, I was curious."

Jean Claude shifted in his saddle, suddenly sober. "…I'm afraid I was not nearly so honest with you as I should have been. I was so desperate to impress you on your first day here that I may have stretched the truth a bit."

Mai's eyes narrowed and the image of a pitifully mewling baby dragon re-entered her mind. "Oh?"

"Yes. You see, while on my travels I came across a forge that had White Dragon scales in the shop. I know how rare it is to find the scales, so I asked the man to forge my sword from it. I don't know where he got the scales," he admitted guiltily. "As the forge was a shady, seedy sort of place I did not ask."

"You didn't have to deceive me, Jean Claude," she said, suddenly annoyed. "I don't appreciate anyone lying to me."

"You're right, my dear," he said, looking guilty. "I am sincerely sorry I did such a thing. I feared that you would look over me and not pay attention to me if I did not have something to show for my efforts. You deserve only the best, after all."

"You know that's right," she retorted, the comment made to mostly cover her uneasiness. She could not put a finger on what it was, but now she found that she could not believe him this time...something about his story was off and she found that she could not entirely accept the story for being true.

They all heard the sound of galloping horses, even from here, and Mai looked down in time to watch the group of men who had left earlier galloping back to the castle; though it was hard to tell from here Mai gained the impression that they were fleeing some pursuer. "What's happened?"

Jean Claude looked troubled. "I haven't the foggiest…we'd best return and find out. They act as if the Devil himself is after them."

When they got back to the castle it was to find the same group of men in the courtyard, looking haggard and bearing injuries; other guards were gathered around them or leaning out of the guardhouse, but as Mai came into the courtyard she noticed Raphael had stayed in the doorway to the stable.

"Gurimo, what on earth is going on?" asked Jean Claude, looking both annoyed and concerned. "I sent you on a simple errand to return Alister to the forest, so why would you—?"

"Bakura!" gasped out the other man, looking pale. "Bakura was waiting in ambush for us!"

Mai felt something cold settle into the bottom of her stomach.

Jean Claude's irritation abruptly vanished. "The Thief King? Tell me what happened," he said grimly.

"We were just nearing the forest and had stopped by the river to take a break—Alister begged us to stop because of the pain he was in. We had no sooner dismounted when the Thief King and his men descended on us. We've only just barely escaped."

"What of Alister?" asked Mai sharply. It had only occurred to her then that she had not seen the redhead amongst the others and the cold feeling in her stomach began to spread. "What happened to him?"

Gurimo's whole face darkened and he bowed to Mai. "Forgive me, dear princess, I tried to help him. But the horse he was riding became spooked and began to gallop near the river…he couldn't hold on and he fell into the river. By the time we reached him the current had already swept him away and…" he trailed off, his expression tragic. "I'm sorry, we couldn't reach him."

Alister had drowned. That was what Gurimo was telling her.

Her eyes went to the stables, where Raphael was standing, and she could see the look of white-hot grief on his face even from here; at the same time, however, Mai got the unsettling impression that Raphael had already known that this would be the outcome, because his expression shifted into absolute hatred when it landed on both Jean Claude and Gurimo. He saw Mai watching him and then, with one last hurt and angry expression, retreated into the stables.

It seemed that Bakura had likely gotten angry at Jean Claude for his actions in the forest and was retaliating, Mai figured. It made sense, given who Bakura was and what she had seen of his temper while in the forest. Of course Bakura would stage an ambush on any of the palace guards he found outside of the castle.

So why was it that she could not shake the feeling that something was still wrong with this picture?

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><p>Night had fallen by the time Yami made it back to Bakura's lair. He would have been here much sooner, except he had decided to scout out the situation at the castle to get a feel for what was going on. He'd used the shadows to his advantage, as he always had, and hid inside them; Yami had done this once before to find out why Yugi's grandfather had been banished.<p>

He'd already had his suspicions, granted, but he had not even made it near the border of the castle before he caught that familiar cloying taste of Shadow magic and he'd had to turn back. It was as he had suspected—the situation had worsened in the amount of time since he'd last been here.

Ryou was still awake when Yami returned, brewing some potion or another, and he looked up when Yami ghosted across the grass. "What happened?" he asked, looking concerned. "You were gone for some time and Téa was worried."

"Is she all right?"

"Yes, she fell asleep a while ago." Ryou pointed to the trees above him. "Marik carried her up, as she dozed off near Jou and it's getting colder out."

Yami's eyes went across the clearing, where he could see the outline of the dragon in the night; he largely suspected Jou was quite awake but not in any mood to move. "Has Valon come back yet?"

Ryou shook his head. When Valon had returned to the clearing that disastrous night he'd been both terrified and angry; after kicking Jou's snout and actually punching the dragon (because by then Jou had once more become the dragon) the boy had taken off into the woods. He had made intermittent appearances since then, but any sight of Jou would cause the boy to scowl and he'd leave.

Yami sighed. "Ryou, is Bakura in the Ring?"

"He is. He got tired and has been resting all day for a change," said Ryou, frowning when Yami continued looking at him. "I don't like that look you've got, Yami."

"…I'm afraid I must ask you for a favor, Ryou, as I do not believe I can ask anyone else. I need you to run an errand for me—and it involves sneaking into the city of Hermos without Bakura's knowledge."


	23. A Familiar Face

_First off, I want to thank everyone for their reviews and for the support you all have given this story. I'm glad you are all enjoying this so much and I only hope I can continue meeting expectations :)_

_Now, trivia fact: I based a certain outfit someone will be wearing on a Duel Monster's clothes. I'm not expecting anyone to find it, as I made it a bit difficult to spot, but kudos if you _do _recognize it. Now, onto the chapter!_

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><p>Mai cast a furtive gaze around the courtyard before making a beeline for the stables. It would defeat the purpose of sneaking out if anyone saw her, especially since she was sneaking out at dawn. Vivian would likely chew her out later, but Mai needed some time alone and away from the castle.<p>

She had not gotten much sleep the night before. Too many things had been on her mind, and while she had been able to converse and interact easily with Jean Claude and even acted as if she was back to normal it had not fooled Vivian. After the two women had returned to Mai's chambers they'd started talking—the conversation from the night before was still weighing a good deal on Mai's mind.

_"I'm not buying it."_

_Vivian paused, setting the now folded dress on a nearby chair and looking over at Mai. Evening had fallen and the two women were readying themselves for bed; Vivian had already gotten into her nightclothes, but the other woman had not yet changed into her nightgown and was sitting with her arms crossed over her chest. "Not buying what?" she asked Mai._

_"Gurimo's story about Alister. I can't make myself believe it."_

_"Why not? I find it plausible," said Vivian. "Bakura likely was planning an ambush in retaliation for what happened—"_

_"And he conveniently happened to set that trap in the same place Gurimo and his men were traveling? Right," retorted Mai, rising to her feet and beginning to pace. "Isn't it odd that Bakura chose to ambush a small group of guards and even kill one of them? We've heard the stories of the Thief King since we were teenagers, since when has he ever wasted so much effort on guards? He would have waited for Jean Claude, if nothing else—besides, he struck me as one who doesn't waste effort unless he has to."_

_"He's angry over what happened in the forest, Princess. I doubt he'd be inclined to be merciful or anything like that towards Jean Claude. If that Aurosian boy returned to the same place Bakura was and spoke of what transpired, then Bakura more than likely knows of who you ran into."_

_"But what was the purpose of ambushing the guards, especially since the Thief King has such a limited number of men on his side right now? Surely he'd wait until Jean Claude himself was traveling through the forest," replied Mai irritably. "I was in Bakura's company for the better part of a week, and right now Vivian I honestly believe he only has three members of his gang left to him. And even if he used Shadow magic—"_

"Shadow magic?"

_"It has outcomes as a warped mirror, Viv, but trust me—it's not dangerous as long as you don't anger the ones using it," replied Mai impatiently, noticing her friend's horrified face. "Anyways, he would not waste so much time and effort on such a small group, and even if he used Shadow magic why would he kill the only man who couldn't fight? It's cowardly and something I doubt Bakura would do."_

_Vivian seemed to think over what Mai had said and, after a few moments of silence, asked, "Are you this concerned over what happened because Alister died?"_

_Mai stopped pacing, sitting back on the edge of the bed again. "Don't you find it strange, Vivian, that I ask Jean Claude to send Alister home and not even an hour afterward Alister's drowned in the river?" she asked at last, looking up at her lady in waiting. "It's troubling, to say the least."_

_"I think you're just feeling guilty that Alister died and that's why you're finding everything so strange," replied Vivian comfortingly. _

_"No, that's not it. I find it so strange because…Vivian, remember the Aurosian boy I told you of? The one who was the reason Raphael and Alister rebelled against Jean Claude in the forest?"_

_"Yes I remember…why? Does he have something to do with this?" Vivian inquired. "I don't see how he would, even if he did tell Bakura what happened to you. The only reason I can think of is—oh Princess, _please_ tell me that he's not a member of Bakura's gang and that you didn't lie to cover for him last week," she groaned._

_"…Well…he _did_ help take me away from the dragon and did make sure I didn't run off," Mai said slowly and sheepishly. "But he's a good kid and he's not an official member of the gang. The only reason he's around them is because he doesn't have anyone else to turn to in the forest," she added, noticing Vivian's exasperated glower. "Anyways, if he's been with them for as long as he has, why would Valon let Bakura kill Alister? It doesn't add up."_

_"Mai, I'm afraid I can't help you much in those suspicions of yours. I have yet to meet any of these people and see them for myself before I come to my own decision, but I will say that maybe you're thinking this over too much. I'm not saying I don't believe you, but as I haven't met these people I can't offer any advice on the matter," replied Vivian wearily. Even as she spoke, however, a sudden thought occurred to her and she said, "Highness, does Bakura really have so few men left to him?"_

_"Bakura supposedly attacked one of the White Dragon's kits and the dragons have been in an uproar since," said Mai, rising to her feet and resuming her pacing. "They've been decimating Bakura's band of thieves and the forest since, from what I gathered…you remember me telling you that, right?" she asked. Mai could not remember if she had told Vivian about Mizu, and for the moment she found it prudent to omit the cause behind the White Dragon's attacks._

_"Of course I do. That's why you asked about origins of Jean Claude's sword, right, Highness?" asked Vivian._

_"Yeah, and let me tell you I'm not entirely believing that story either. During my stay in the forest I got the general impression that the master of the White Dragons only allows one person to keep any of the dragon scales, so for a forge to conveniently have some of the White Dragon's scales just as Jean Claude is passing through that area…I'm sorry, but that's far-fetched."_

_Vivian frowned, reaching for Mai's nightgown and rising to her feet. Mai saw her and soundlessly moved behind the changing screen, beginning to undress; Vivian waited patiently until Mai held out her clothes and swapped them for the nightgown._

_"It is odd that Jean Claude would come by that sword so conveniently. If I had not seen him do something similar to that once already, I would just say he was fortuitous enough to be at the right place at the right time," Vivian said at last._

_There was a distinct pause from behind the screen. "…What do you mean?"_

_"I told you last week, remember? Jean Claude got everyone to move out of the camp we were staying at and marched us to an area of the woods far from the place Bakura told us to wait at. Not even five minutes after we stopped, you ran into us. It was as if he knew exactly where you would be and even knew that you would be injured—he had someone who was skilled with healing on standby and told him to be ready."_

_Mai came out from behind the dressing screen and fluffed her hair out, going back to the bed and sitting on the mattress with a frown. "That's definitely odd," she said at last. "How could he have known where to be? It just doesn't make sense," she said, looking visibly frustrated. "It's not just that, though. I've been distracted this past week and I've not been paying too much attention to him, but now that I'm thinking about it…everything he's told me so far, from the coup d'état to how he got his sword…I just can't make myself entirely believe anything he's said, but I don't understand why I'm so suspicious."_

_Vivian frowned again. "Is that what's been troubling you, Princess?" she asked soberly. "He did already lie to you once, as we found out this afternoon, so it's entirely possible that you're calling everything into question because of it."_

_"I just don't know, Vivian!" Mai burst out, looking even more frustrated. "I should have been seeing all of this so much sooner and by all rights I should have been asking these questions when I first arrived. You know me, Vivian—I'm not nearly so trusting in what I hear. And yet it's like I'm viewing this whole situation through fogged glass! Every time I start thinking over Jean Claude's story the details get murky and I just can't focus on any one aspect of it! I didn't even remember you telling me about how Jean Claude rescued me!"_

_"To be fair, Princess, you were carted off by a dragon and you've been trying to recover from that since you returned," said Vivian comfortingly, gently but firmly sitting Mai on the mattress again. "You're all worked up over this and right now you're only making yourself even more confused. Take a breather and stop thinking of it for the moment…besides, it's high time you told me about this Jou you've been conveniently leaving out of the conversation."_

_Mai let out a strangled laugh. "Are you seriously asking me about him _now_?"_

_"Why not? It's been eating away at you even more than what has transpired with Jean Claude—besides, I told you I wasn't going to let you off the hook until you told me what was going on." To prove her point, Vivian folded her arms across her chest and began tapping her foot impatiently. "Well?"_

_Mai gave a resigned sigh, looked Vivian in the eye a few minutes later, and began telling her everything that she had omitted from her original story, from the moment that Jou had first "told" her of the curse he was under to meeting Kaiba and healing Mizu; she still avoided mentioning Yami's suspicions of her being under a memory charm, as she did not want to alarm Vivian. She managed to get to the point where she told her of the attack Jou had made on her, but this part was harder to tell than the rest of the story and Mai had to stop._

_"And there you have it," she said flatly. "That attack was likely why Jou came here, but whether he came to finish me off or apologize is something I don't know—I didn't give him the chance to talk."_

_Vivian toyed with a corner of the coverlet. "So this Jou attacked you randomly and out of the blue?" she asked. "He didn't warn you at all?"_

_Mai was about to say that no, Jou hadn't, when the memory of frightened red eyes and a pale, scared face peering at her through the darkness of the night resurfaced. "He did," she said slowly, frowning. "He told me to run."_

_Vivian nodded, more to herself than to Mai's question. "The impression I got was that he was constantly protecting you, no matter what harm came to him."_

_"Yeah, but come on, Vivian, every prince does that for me!" she retorted, flopping onto the mattress. "Actually, every man I know has tried that route with me. Even Jean Claude is no different. And look where that's gotten me every time. The man in question just ends up wanting to use me later, if not betraying me—and Jou proved to be no exception."_

_"But in the past, Princess, you've never been this upset when that does happen. Granted, none of your past suitors tried to kill you, but you've always brushed their actions off and continued on your way. None of those ultimate betrayals has ever bothered you the way that Jou's attack is troubling you now," Vivian pointed out. _

_Mai groaned. "But it shouldn't be!" she said irritably. "I don't even know him, Vivian! Stupid dragon, stupid curse…I shouldn't have ever agreed to helping him. I should have just been a good hostage, told Jou to find himself someone else to aid him, and left it at that."_

_Vivian mulled over her thoughts for a moment before finally speaking. "You're not going to like me very much for saying this, Princess, but maybe you should give him another chance."_

_Mai started, sitting upright. "You want me to…why?" she demanded, looking surprised. She gestured to her bandaged shoulder. "I already gave him one chance and look what happened! Besides, he's the one who kidnapped me to begin with!"_

_"I didn't forget that, Mai," said Vivian wryly. She sobered and said, "I don't know this Jou and for all I know maybe he was trying to kill you… but based on what you told me, I don't think that his visit last night was made just to finish you off. I think he was genuinely trying to apologize, and if he comes back again maybe you should let him explain himself. If nothing else, you can get some peace of mind on the matter."_

_Vivian rose to her feet and moved across the room when Mai did not reply. "It's late, Your Highness, and at this point all you're doing is stressing yourself out. This will keep until morning—and don't worry. I'll help you sort through it all tomorrow. Right now it's time to get some sleep," she said, leaving the room and closing the door behind her._

After spending a night restlessly tossing in her bed and her thoughts alternating between a snarling red-eyed demon and a heartbroken face peering back at her—and these thoughts intertwining with everything else troubling her—Mai had decided that what she needed was to get away from the castle for a brief spell. After all, Hermos _did_ have some good places to shop and Mai had been dying to explore the city ever since she had seen the bazaars.

She slipped inside the stables, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dim light inside the building. She was more than capable of saddling her own horse and all she had to do was find her saddle, and then she would be out of this castle and—

"No, Eatos, I don't have anything for you."

Mai jumped horribly at the sound of the gruff voice that came from around the corner and then realized that it was Raphael's; at the same time she registered who was speaking she also realized that this had not been addressed to her, but someone else. Curious, she padded silently to the corner and peered around it.

Mai had been expecting to see a woman when she turned the corner—Eatos _had_ been a girl's name, after all—but all she saw was Raphael leaning on a pitchfork, a pile of hay on the floor behind him. He must have been feeding the horses, she decided. He was not looking at her, however, his attention fixed on something above him. Frowning, she tried peering up into the rafters of the building to see what it was he was looking at, but it was too dark to make anything out—maybe he'd finally gone mad, she thought.

Raphael held out his arm and waited patiently; Mai at first did not know what he was even doing, but after a few seconds something flew from the rafters. It flapped its wings to steady itself as it settled on Raphael's arm and Mai realized it was an eagle—a very large one at that. Mai had never seen one so large, not even in Thystia.

Raphael set the pitchfork down and leaned against the wall of a nearby stall, stroking the feathers on its head gently. The tension seemed to leave him and Mai realized that for the first time since she'd arrived Raphael looked completely at ease, even reassured by the eagle's presence. "Don't look at me like that, I warned you there wouldn't be any rabbits or mice here," he chided, though he had a worn smile on his face. "You should be in the forest."

The eagle's head leaned briefly into Raphael's hand before turning its gaze to an empty stall across from them, and though Mai could not be certain she felt as if the eagle was asking about it; this only confirmed her belief when the eagle looked back at Raphael with a soft cry.

Something twisted in Raphael's features. "No, Grarl's not here," he said tiredly. "In fact, I'm willing to bet he's running around in the forest, if not dead."

It took her a moment to figure out who Raphael was talking about and before she could stop herself she said with both disbelief and amusement, "You named your horse Grarl?"

Both the eagle and Raphael turned to her, and the tension that had left the taller man returned in full force. He did nothing to dislodge the eagle on his arm, however; Mai had to wonder how he was able to accommodate the eagle's talons that were possibly digging into his arm. "Is there something I can help you with, Princess?" he asked, the barest hint of an edge to his voice.

This was likely an attempt to get her to change the subject, but Mai did not fall for it. "I asked a question. Did you really name your horse Grarl? That's something you'd call a bear, not a horse."

Raphael's eyes narrowed. "I wasn't the one who named him," he said stiffly. "My younger brother did—he thought Grarl looked like a bear."

Mai blinked, surprised by the information. Valon had never mentioned Raphael having any siblings, but then again she had not exactly asked about Raphael's family. "Oh…so you have a younger brother?"

"And a sister," he said, gesturing to the eagle. "She named Eatos."

"How old are they? Your siblings, not your eagle and horse," she added, again wondering why they had not been mentioned before.

Raphael's face spasmed briefly. "They're dead," he said curtly. "Died in a flash flood years ago, along with my parents."

Mai grimaced. That was why Valon had not brought them up—and it explained why Raphael had not bothered renaming the horse. "Sorry," she said, feeling rather awkward (and disliking it immensely).

The eagle—Eatos—seemed to be sizing her up somehow and Mai found she did not entirely like the eagle's oddly stern gaze. She averted her eyes, trying not to look at either Raphael or Eatos. "I need my horse saddled," she announced.

Raphael's eyebrow rose and he carefully let Eatos perch on the ledge of the stall behind him. The eagle gave one last soft cry before taking flight, leaving the stables and disappearing out of sight over the castle wall. "You're leaving?" he asked. "Does the prince know you're going?"

"I'm not returning home," she said irritably, annoyed by the question about Jean Claude. "I just need to get away from the castle a bit—I've got a lot on my mind and could use a distraction. Jean Claude's sweet, but he pesters and Vivian…well, there's a topic of conversation she's keen on bringing up that I don't want to talk about right now."

The taller man's other eyebrow rose but he turned and disappeared into the stable. A few minutes later he returned, leading Mai's horse out; he had the saddle and the blanket, as well as the harness, in his free arm. "So where exactly are you going?"

"Hermos," she replied, watching as Raphael started saddling the mare. "They had some interesting looking bazaars and I've been dying to shop there since."

He did not say anything, but he did not have to for Mai to feel the wave of disapproval. She scoffed. "Oh come on, I don't exactly have a forest retreat to go to with my little animal friends. Shopping takes my mind off things," she said.

"I'm sure it does," he replied stiffly.

Mai fidgeted. Now was as good time as any to talk to him about what had happened to Alister. She waited, watching Raphael finish saddling the mare before she said slowly, "I'm sorry, by the way."

He paused, turning his head marginally to look at her. He said nothing, but his gaze was prompting her to continue speaking.

"I'm sorry about what happened to Alister," she said. "If I'd known that his death would be the outcome of my talking to Jean Claude I would have let matters be."

Raphael's whole face darkened and she caught a glimpse of anger that flashed in his eyes when he turned to face her. "You should have known that to begin with," he said, the barest tremor in his voice. "You of all people should have known what was going to happen."

A wave of both confusion and anger rolled over her and she drew herself up, affronted. "Are you seriously telling me I should have been a mind reader and just magically known what was going to happen?" she retorted. She looked around with a furtive glance before she continued in a low voice. "Look, I didn't know Bakura would mount an ambush. If anything, you should be blaming your stupid horse for throwing Alister—!"

"Grarl hasn't thrown off a rider since he was a colt," Raphael said darkly. "He doesn't get nervous around magic, not even around Shadow magic."

She scoffed. "Oh come on. He's a _horse._ Are you seriously telling me that you trust your horse more than you believe eye witness accounts?"

"I trust Grarl more than I trust you—does that count?" he said coldly.

Mai bristled, frustrated, confused, and angry, but before she could reply Raphael led her horse out of the stable entirely and then almost threw the reins in her hand. "Have a good day, _Highness_," he said flatly, and then he turned on his heel and disappeared back into the stables.

Mai scowled and repressed the sudden urge to let out distinctly unladylike curses as she led her mare out of the castle; once outside of the castle and not on the drawbridge she mounted the horse and rode in the direction of the road that led into Hermos.

That man had to be the most infuriating man she'd ever dealt with! What was his problem, anyways? She'd thought Alister had disliked her the most, but it seemed Raphael had been holding back a good deal. If it was not for the fact that she owed Valon for saving her she would go right back inside and tell Jean Claude (though she doubted she actually would, even if Valon had saved her—she had never been one to tattletale on others).

"_You should have known that to begin with."_

Mai's anger dissipated into a frustrated confusion. What had he meant when he said that? It was almost as if he believed Mai had sent Alister to his death—but why would he think such a thing? Mai certainly had not intended for Alister to die when she'd spoken to Jean Claude on the matter.

She remembered the look of horror that had been on Raphael's face when Jean Claude had ordered Gurimo to take Alister to the forest and her frown deepened. Maybe…maybe that horrified expression had been because he had known what the ultimate outcome of Alister's journey would be. But how? He couldn't have known Bakura would ambush the group, so the only alternative left was that—

She heard the eagle's cry seconds before it flew in front of her. Her horse whickered in surprise and nearly reared as the eagle flew past its head and Mai steadied the mare as best as she could. Once the horse had calmed her eyes went to a fallen log, where the eagle had landed, and she realized it was Eatos; she was still in view of the castle, though she was out of sight of the main gate, so it had likely not taken much for the eagle to catch up to her.

"What do you want?" she asked irritably, scowling at her. "Unless you can apologize for your master I don't want anything to do with you."

Eatos watched her evenly, lifting one of her feet and shifting position. She had something in her talons, she realized, and the only reason the bird was on the log was because she did not want to spook Mai's horse again. With a heavy sigh she dismounted her horse and gingerly made her way to the log, taking care not to get her dress caught in any stray branches. "What is it?"

Eatos lifted the object in her talons with her beak and Mai realized it was a necklace of some kind. Curiosity replaced her irritability and she took the necklace from the eagle, holding it up for inspection.

The pendant of the necklace was on a leather cord and had been carved from oak. The pendant itself was an angel, and whoever had carved it had spent quite some time making this, she noted; it likely had not been an easy task to put the feathers in the wings or the folds in the dress, as well as the tiny face and even the hair.

"Where did you get this?" she asked the eagle, surprised. It was not a gift from Raphael—after the conversation she'd had with him earlier she doubted he would be in any mood to even look at her and Eatos had caught up to her far too quickly—so why the bird had brought it to her was a complete mystery.

She lifted it up to put it around her neck when the eagle let out a cry and went airborne, her great wings beating the air around her head and screeching indignantly. Startled, Mai dropped the necklace. "You give me a necklace and yet you don't want me to wear it. What _do _you want me to do with it?" she asked, annoyed.

Eatos caught the necklace in her beak and returned to the log, waiting patiently for Mai to take it from her; this time when Mai picked up the necklace she made sure to place it in the money pouch at her side instead of trying to wear it. Eatos, who had been watching her intently, seemed pleased by this decision and once more took to the sky—she must have deemed her task finished, whatever it had been.

Mai watched the eagle fly off, landing a few moments later on a windowsill in the northern tower. She'd found where Eatos was likely staying—it made sense, as she'd gained the general impression the tower was vacated due to repairs and she did not see the eagle staying with the messenger pigeons.

She remounted her horse and started toward the road to Hermos, grumbling all the while about ridiculous birds and stupid necklaces; thankfully the road was still in view of the castle, which prevented any bandits from bothering her, and about twenty minutes later she finally arrived at the mouth of the town. After she'd stabled her horse at a nearby stable and promised to be back later that afternoon, Mai stepped out into the street and sighed contentedly.

"Time to forget my troubles," she announced brightly, heading for the first line of shops she saw.

* * *

><p>"<em>YAMI!"<em>

The furious roar startled everyone in the clearing out of a sound sleep and Marik nearly toppled from his perch in the tree. Had it not been for Jou, who'd seen him about to fall and lifted his head to steady the Enterran, Marik would have likely plummeted to the ground. "Thanks, Jou," he said, visibly relieved.

Jou rumbled and lowered his head to allow Marik a safe passage to the ground, curling back up once he finished. Marik looked back at the dragon and felt the briefest stab of pity for him; Jou had spent the past two days curled up in a small ball at the back of the clearing, and even before then he'd been absolutely miserable.

_"YAMI, YOU WRETCHED FOOL OF A KING, WHERE IS HE?"_

He turned his attention instead to the sound of the furious voice that was cursing violently in Enterran and English alike, and he frowned when he could not immediately see Bakura in the clearing. "What in the name of…Bakura?" he called, looking around for the source of the angry voice. "Bakura, what's going on?"

He heard the sound of growls from behind him and he turned. Jou had lifted his head and his lips were drawn back in a snarl; his gaze was riveted on the shadows near the largest oak tree in the clearing, and it took Marik a moment to understand before he realized that the steadily growing mass of shadows _was_ Bakura. He grimaced—it had been some time since he had seen the man that angry.

Téa leaned out over one of the platforms and looked down. Spotting the ever growing patch of darkness beneath her, she looked for Marik and saw him across the clearing. "What's happening?" she called. "Why's Bakura so angry?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," he replied, stepping back as the darkness began to spread. His eyes began darting around the clearing, wondering where on earth Ryou was—the other white-haired man was very good at calming Bakura when he was like this. "Stay there, Téa, you're safer where you are!"

"Oh yeah?" she retorted, smacking at one tendril of shadow with a suddenly procured broom. "Tell Bakura that!"

Jou finally uncurled and rose to his feet, padding to the other side of the clearing and keeping well away from the shadows; he stretched his neck enough to catch the back of Téa's dress with his teeth and then lifted her into the air, returning to the part of the clearing he'd been in before. He set her down gently and curled up once again, but his growls grew in volume.

Marik in the meantime tried getting closer to the other man, trying to understand what had put him into this state. "Bakura, calm down!" he said, yelping when another tendril of shadow lashed out and very nearly cut his face.

He felt teeth on the back of his shirt and he was lifted into the air the same way Téa had been; Jou had likely deemed the situation too dangerous for Marik, and as the Enterran was one of the people who believed he had not deliberately attacked Mai the dragon was especially concerned. While he appreciated the gesture, Marik really needed to find out what was going on.

"Jou, put me down!" he said, starting to struggle. He stopped when he heard the sound of fabric ripping and scowled. "This is the only shirt I have left to me, please don't rip it!"

He noticed another patch of darkness enter the clearing and with some relief Marik saw Yami emerge from the shadows. It was probably the first time he'd been happy to see Yami at all since he'd met him, he noted with some annoyance.

"Calm yourself, Bakura, I am here," said Yami smoothly, addressing the mass of shadows. He did not flinch when several spears of shadow launched themselves at him, barely missing him and disappearing into the forest around him. "What is the matter?"

A pair of glowing red eyes swiveled onto Yami and Bakura's voice was distorted with fury when he spoke. "_Where is he, Yami? What did you do?" _he snarled.

"I will not answer anything while you are in that state," Yami responded evenly, though the barest hint of a warning colored his words.

The shadows violently dispersed, much to everyone's surprise, and while Bakura was once more human in shape his eyes still glowed red. "What did you do with Ryou?" he said furiously. "What have you done, Yami?"

Yami shrugged carelessly. "I do not know where Ryou is at this point in time—but I will not deny my part in his disappearance. I asked him to do something for me. Rest assured that he will be returned to you safely, provided he does nothing to draw attention. Given who has taught him how to hide in plain sight this should not be a problem."

Bakura snarled in fury. "He is not your charge, Yami! If he dies I'll be trapped in the Ring!" he said fiercely. "You may have been some glorified king once, but you are nothing but his shadow now and I won't stand for you ordering—!"

"Ryou is surely not so careless as to get himself killed," said Yami coldly, his eyes flashing."I may not answer to you, but Yugi will be just as angry at me if your 'charge' comes to harm."

Bakura glared furiously at him before abruptly bursting into shadow and leaving the clearing; the stream of shadows that made up Bakura flew through the air, very nearly missing Valon (who had likely heard the commotion and had come to investigate).

Valon watched the thief go with wide eyes. "Wha' on earth 'as gotten into 'im?" he asked, looking for an explanation. "I mean, one minute I was 'untin' some bunnies 'n' the next thing I know I 'ear 'im yellin' 'n' I nearly get skewered by some shadow thing. 'ey wait, where's Ryou?"

Valon's eyes landed on Jou and his face promptly darkened. "'n' wha' are you lookin' at, you git of a dragon?" he asked angrily.

Jou's eyes flashed and his lips drew back in another snarl.

"Oh come on, you two, knock it off! It's too early for this!" snapped Téa irritably, moving between the two parties. "Valon, he's a dragon who could break you in two."

"It wouldn' surprise me any if 'e did," the Aurosian retorted. "'e already attacked someone once, didn' 'e? I'd just be victim number two."

Jou's eyes lit with white-hot pain and the fight left him. He lowered his head, his growls dying and almost vanishing altogether as he slumped.

Téa was aghast. "Valon! How could you say that? He didn't attack her on purpose, Yami already said Jou didn't!"

Valon glowered and looked away, his eyes flashing and his fists clenching, but he said nothing further.

Marik had not been paying attention to the argument at all, something close to anger stirring as he looked at Yami. He had been trying to figure out where Ryou could have gone and what purpose Yami had needed him for, but he was drawing a blank. "What did you make Ryou do?" he asked coolly.

Yami's gaze swiveled onto the Enterran. "It was Ryou's choice to make when I asked him. I will refrain from telling you where he has gone for now."

Marik opened his mouth to continue arguing when Yami said calmly, "You already tread on thin ice with me, child of the Ishtars. Bakura is your ally and I do not desire to set him against you by telling you what I will not say to him."

Téa shot the wizard a concerned look. "But he'll be okay, won't he?"

"Of course," Yami replied. "As I've said, I assured Ryou's journey would be safe. What he does from the end of that journey, however, is up to him."

Marik exchanged worried glances with Téa, and even Valon looked the slightest bit concerned by Yami's reply. He did not know what it was that Ryou was doing, but Marik could only hope that he would return to them safely.

* * *

><p>"Oh, this is absolutely terrible news!" Jean Claude cried, pacing the throne room. "Did she say where she was going?"<p>

Vivian held onto the parchment she'd found on her dresser that morning and managed to maintain her composure. He was understandably worried about Mai, but he'd been in her fretting for what had felt like hours and she was growing tired of it; if it was not for the fact he was a prince she would scold him for being so worried.

Besides, it was not the first time Mai had snuck out of a castle and without Vivian. It was something she did if she had too much on her mind and needed to just relax—or, in some cases, felt too crowded by everyone and desired some alone time.

"She has only been gone for an hour, two at the most," she said evenly. "All her letter said was that she was going into Hermos. It's nothing to trouble yourself over, my lord."

"But there are all sorts of brigands and ruffians in the city she could run afoul of!" he said impatiently. "Why didn't you go with her?"

A spike of irritation flared within her, but Vivian managed to keep it under control. "I woke up to find her gone," she replied. "She must have snuck out while I was still asleep—this is not the first time she's done this, my lord. The princess knows how to take care of herself in a city."

She curtsied to him, smoothing out her yellow gown when she stood upright. "Even so, my lord, I'll go into the town and find her. She does need an escort and you're right in that there are pickpockets."

"I'll send some of my guards to accompany you, just for precautionary purposes," he said, also rising to his feet.

"Oh don't trouble yourself, my lord, I'm more than capable of handling myself," she replied, winking at him. She flicked her arm to allow a dagger to slip out of its holster and lifted it for him to see. "Believe me, I know how to use these. I won't need any other escorts. I'm not a helpless lady, you know."

"Even so, my dear, I would feel better if you go with some of my men when you leave," he insisted.

Vivian repressed the exasperated growl that was bubbling in her throat. She appreciated Jean Claude's concern, but just because she was a woman did not automatically mean she needed protection. She knew how to defend herself and Hermos was not the first city she'd ever been to.

"Very well," she said begrudgingly, curtsying to him one last time before she left the room. She was beginning to understand why Mai tried to avoid staying around Jean Claude for too long—while the man was certainly handsome he was also a pest.

* * *

><p>Almost four hours after she had arrived at the city Mai was in bliss. She had spent the morning going through the shops and the smaller markets, but now she had arrived at the town center and it was obvious that this was where the upper part of trade and commerce was done. Larger, fancier shops that carried clothes, jewelry, and fine food were on the outer rim of the center, while in the middle the more successful traveling stands had been set up.<p>

Mai had wandered into the midst of this crowded marketplace, her money pouch tucked safely into her skirt, and she was completely at ease browsing through the different stalls. She was currently at one stall that was selling different bolts of fabric; the fabric could be given to the royal tailors to be made into a gorgeous dress, like the one she was wearing now (due to her injured shoulder Mai had elected to wear the modified white dress Vivian had made for her).

"We have silk and satin, both imported from Xhiaoren," offered the teller hopefully. He knew she was a noble of some kind—anyone looking at her could tell she was—and hoped to make a sale. Mai always used it to her advantage, as all the shop owners and tellers would try to make her spend more than she had to and she knew how to wheedle them into lowering their prices.

She frowned thoughtfully at one bolt of lavender-tinted Enterran cotton. That would make a lovely nightgown if it was in a darker shade, she mused, and she pointed to the cotton bolt. "What about that color? Do you have anything just a shade darker?"

"Why certainly! I have fabrics from all over the continent," he said, digging through the bolts and holding up a darker lavender. "Feel how soft it is! I made certain not to spare any expense in keeping my fabrics clean and soft."

"I'll take your word for it. I need enough to make a nightgown from it—I _love_ the color and the fabric," she said brightly. "How much for it?"

"Well…it was hard to come by the color of the fabric and even harder to transport it," he began slowly, and Mai repressed a grin. He was going to try and make her pay over the price. "Considering how much you want…I would say no less than twenty five gold pieces."

Mai let her face fall, inwardly smirking. _Game on, my friend_. "Oh dear me, I don't think I have enough for that," she said, glancing at where her pouch was. "I mean, I couldn't possibly spend that much! I guess I'll have to return to that other shop—they had the same fabric for my purposes for seventeen gold pieces."

Mai was not necessarily lying—she _had _bumped into a shop selling the Enterran cotton at twenty gold pieces, but it never hurt to stretch the truth a bit.

The man did a double take. "Seventeen?" he repeated, startled.

She nodded sadly. "I just can't spend twenty five gold pieces on this fabric!" she exclaimed, deliberately rounding her eyes and putting out her lower lip. "I'm just going to have to go back all the way across town again."

"No no, hold on!" he said hastily, holding up a placating hand. "I normally don't do this, but I'm willing to offer you the same price!"

"Really? That's so generous of you…but then again I had hoped to find a more forgiving price. This stall has such a variety of fabrics, but if they're still as expensive as the others…"

"How about I sell it to you for fifteen gold pieces, then? In addition I'll waive the packaging fee," he said, smiling convincingly at her. "So what do you say?"

Mai instantly brightened, inwardly laughing. "You have yourself a deal! Thank you so much!"

After she paid she agreed to return to the stall to pick up the fabric (she had done this at all the other shops she'd visited and before she left Hermos she would pick up what she'd bought) Mai set off into the market once more, a bounce in her step. She loved it when she could haggle and got what she wanted in the end.

She had almost made it to the next stall when a croaking voice said, "Care to have your fortune told?"

Mai paused, turning to eye the gypsy woman sitting on the stairs of a covered wagon; the elder woman was wearing aqua colored robes and a teal scarf around her neck. An ornate headdress made of purple and pink fabric was on over the hood on her head, a pink star in the middle of it. She was hunched over and Mai could see nothing underneath the hood, but she did know that her eyes were watching Mai.

"Were you talking to me?" she asked slowly.

"I was. You seemed like a kind young woman and I believe you could stand to have your fortune told," replied the gypsy calmly. "Call it intuition."

"Sorry, honey, but I don't believe in fortune telling," Mai replied flatly. "Where I'm from it's all smoke and mirrors."

"Ah, but you've not met a true seer," reprimanded the old woman gently. "Come, see for yourself if my skills are smoke and mirrors. I guarantee that you will be amazed by what you find."

Mai sighed. Well, what did she have to lose? It was not as if she was in any tearing hurry to return to the castle just yet and she did have some spare coins on hand. "How much is it for a seeing?" she asked suspiciously.

The other woman laughed. "I would be a fool if I tried to ask a price. I saw you haggle with the merchant over there. It's a free reading this time. You have nothing to lose by doing this, my dear princess, so step inside. Let the proof of my skills be my price."

Mai jumped at the mention of her nobility before scoffing. "You made a wild guess."

"Maybe, maybe not." The old woman got to her feet and shuffled inside. "I tell my fortunes inside my wagon, as it offers solitude and I can focus easier inside. You have nothing to fear, I won't try to rob you or the like."

Mai hesitated before straightening up and heading inside the wagon. She caught an overwhelming whiff of spices and various herbs as she opened the flap in the wagon and stepped inside; the only light that came in was filtered through the canvas and she had to wait for her vision to adjust before she ventured further in.

Clusters of herbs and several strong-smelling bags were hanging from the top of the wagon and she had to stoop to avoid them; on the sides of the wagon were small shelves filled with vials of different colored liquids and varying books clumsily stacked in leaning piles. At the back of the wagon was a small table and it was here that the old woman was sitting, a small silver cauldron in front of her. "Don't be shy, Highness, make yourself comfortable," she said, gesturing to the empty seat in front of her.

Mai cautiously sat down, eyeing the cauldron warily. "So…what, you need to read my palms?" she asked, eyebrows arching in distaste

"Oh heavens no. My eyesight isn't what it used to be and the light in here doesn't help. All I need is a strand of your hair," came the cheerful reply. "If you don't mind, Princess."

She raised an eyebrow but pulled out a strand of her hair, holding it out gingerly in front of her. "Now what?"

"Drop it into the cauldron, dear," replied the old woman calmly. When Mai had done as she was asked, the other woman reached for some strange powder in a small clay jar and dropped it into the cauldron. "Now, let's begin. _Revelum_," she said, her voice sharper as she invoked the spell.

Instantly a cloud of violet smoke rose and Mai leaned back into her seat, surprised. The gypsy paid no mind, instead looking intently at the cloud. "Let's see here…ah, my suspicions were true. You _are_ a princess," she said, watching as the smoke formed into a golden crown studded with gems. "An unusual one at that, certainly…feisty and beautiful, hard to faze, straight to the point, and able to manipulate others to her will. Yet your true nature is much kinder than what you show to others. Truly a stranger amongst other princesses…"

The crown dimmed and became partially obscured by black smoke. The gypsy woman's mouth turned down in the corner and even though Mai could not see under the hood she knew the old woman was frowning. "Ah me, but what's this? There is a dark cloud that is hovering over you. You are conflicted and suspicious over recent events, confused as to what you are being expected to know…and it seems that, for you, events are appearing in your thoughts very much as a reflection would in a fogged window."

Mai sat up, her breath coming in a sharp gasp. Those had been the same words she had used last night in her conversation with Vivian, how could this gypsy possibly have known—?

"What's more," the elderly woman continued, watching the crown shift into an shadow-shrouded hourglass, "it seems you are in a race against time, but why you are running this race and what will you gain at the end of it is beyond my comprehension."

Before Mai could ask about the hourglass the shadows shifted one last time into a familiar black-scaled dragon, its red eyes boring into hers with a ferocity that made her look away. When she looked back, however, it was to find that the dragon was staring at her with an utterly heartbreaking expression on its features and she recoiled.

"You seem to have some conflict about this young dragon. Trapped between doubt and trust, unable to decide whether to believe what you've recently seen…you have doubts as to the dragon's true nature. He attacked you, certainly, but it seems you are questioning that," said the gypsy woman in her croaking voice, studying Mai intently. The smoke vanished and the woman stirred the cauldron absently. "At least, Jou can only hope that you are questioning it."

Mai rose to her feet, the color leaving her face. "How…you couldn't have possibly known about…you couldn't have known his name," she stammered.

"I did warn you that I have seer's blood, but to be fair I carry an advantage," replied the gypsy as they removed the headdress, but instead of the elderly voice it was a smoother, younger voice—and one that was certainly not a woman's. "I knew quite a bit of back story going into this, so you could say I cheated a bit."

Mai jumped, peering under the hood with some alarm, and found a familiar pair of brown eyes framed by silver hair looking back at her. Disbelief and recognition both slammed into her at the same time and Mai found that all she could do was say weakly, "I thought you were a woman."

The gypsy made a face, taking the hood off their head with an exasperated sigh. "I really ought to give up using this disguise. This isn't the first time I've been mistaken for a woman while donning it," said Ryou, pulling off the green robes and setting them on the back of his chair. "Bakura's right, I really need to learn how to disguise myself better. Those robes are too heavy anyways."

His face cleared and he gave a small bow to Mai, beaming at her happily. "Well hello, Highness! I was afraid I would have to wait a couple days before you came to the market and even debated on breaking into the castle, but it seems I got incredibly lucky. How are you doing?" he asked her conversationally.


	24. Prophecies and Warnings

_Original goal: have this chapter out last weekend._

_...well...at least it wasn't a month, haha. I know exactly what has to come in the later chapters, but it's getting it onto paper that's going to kill me. That, plus ironing out graduation plans/planning for a friend's wedding, was why this was so late._

_Also, there's a character who's making a brief cameo in this chapter. Sivya, who you'll be seeing soon enough, belongs to _Gweniveve Skyes _and makes her appearance in Gwen's fic "Atlantis Rising." Check that story out if you've got the chance, guys - polarshipping is most definitely in that story, as well as other pairings and a very well written plot :D_

_Thanks again to all reviewers and forgive me for the delays in PM's/review replies!_

* * *

><p>"Ryou, what are you <em>doing<em> here?" Mai hissed, recovering almost immediately. "What if you're caught by the peacekeepers? Does Bakura even know you're here?"

"In the order in which you asked: I'm about to tell you why I'm here, you thought I was a woman and if that's the case so will the peacekeepers, and no, Bakura doesn't know I'm here and I suspect he will more than likely be very angry once I return," he replied calmly. "Anything else?"

"How did you even know I would be in the city?" she asked, still reeling from the sight of Ryou in the wagon. "You could not have possibly known I would be here today at this exact time."

"You're right, I didn't," he responded brightly. "I snuck in with the incoming crowd early this morning and set up shop here in the bazaar. I was unsure if you would even come into town, but even so I was fully prepared to be in Hermos for a couple days. If nothing else I would have found a way to sneak into the castle—don't look at me like that. I hang around thieves, Highness, I can easily break into the palace."

Ryou sobered. "Now then, about the reason I'm here in town and taking such a huge risk. I am not here to talk to you about Jou or to convince you to come back with me," he added, noticing the way she shifted uncomfortably. "Rather, I am here because Yami has sent me. So," he continued, sitting back down in front of her, "let's get down to it."

He rummaged at his side and procured a medium sized violet colored pouch, setting it onto the table gently. She heard something that sounded like glass clink gently from inside the pouch and her interest piqued. "What's that?" she asked.

"This was something Jou was supposed to give you two nights ago, but when you rebuffed him Yami asked me to give it to you instead," Ryou replied. Noticing Mai's violent flinch he added, "I told you already I wasn't going to talk to you of Jou, Princess. That particular topic is off limits unless you want it brought up."

Mai shot him a grateful look and then lifted the pouch, pulling apart the golden pouch string to open it. She reached inside and lifted out a glass vial, surprised to see a familiar golden substance inside it. "Healing potion?"

"Probably for your shoulder, I'd imagine. How is that, by the way?" he asked, looking concerned.

Mai leaned forward for Ryou to look at the bandages. "Does this answer your question?" she inquired with arched eyebrows.

Ryou rose to his feet and crossed over to a shelf, pulling out a glass bottle with a honey colored substance inside it. "Take a small sip of this," he ordered. "It's a stronger form of my healing potion and usually used on more serious injuries, such as minor fractures or deeper cuts—not to mention it will limit scarring. That's why you have to drink it instead, but not too much or you'll make yourself ill."

Mai hesitantly put the bottle to her lips and tipped the bottle back, allowing a small amount of the potion to slide down her throat; it tasted and felt like honey, but a few minutes after she had swallowed she felt gentle and soothing heat radiating from her shoulder and she felt the pain beginning to ease.

"Hopefully by the end of today the wounds will be mostly healed, if not entirely," he said, looking satisfied.

Mai smiled, rolling her shoulder and relieved when she could not feel the pain. "Thank you."

Ryou beamed at her, but he gestured to the pouch and said, "I've not looked and I don't know what's in there, but there's probably more inside it and I've got a limited time to be here."

Mai understood why Ryou needed to hurry and she could feel the weight of the items still inside the pouch. She rummaged in it to find another object inside and her fingers closed on another vial; when she pulled it out she found that it was filled with water.

"Yami must be thinking that I'll be thirsty," she guessed wryly. There was an ethereal glow to the water inside the vial, though, and Mai realized it was not just ordinary water. "He went to the healing spring?"

"I guess so," said Ryou with some surprise. "He did venture off just before he sent Jou, so he must've gone to get the water. Apparently you're going to need it, but as for why…well, that's anyone's guess."

"But why give me two things that basically do the same task?"

Ryou shrugged. "Yami's a bit of a gambler. He likes to give gifts that don't make sense to give at the time, but usually that object usually proves to later aid those in need and just when they need it to. I'd hang onto both of those at the moment, Highness, as you never know what occasion you'll need it for."

Mai nodded slowly, not entirely satisfied with the explanation but just enough so to forego asking for further clarification. The pouch was lighter without the two vials in it, but there was still something inside it and Mai upended the bag so that the contents spread across the table.

Two objects clattered onto the wooden surface, bouncing slightly as they hit the wooden surface. The first was a blue-colored river stone sitting inside a silver frame, attached to a thick black leather cord. She picked the pendant up and raised an eyebrow at it, frowning slightly before looking at Ryou for an explanation. "I'm not fond of wearing rocks around my neck unless they're gemstones," she said. "What is this dinky little thing, anyways?"

Ryou looked interested and leaned forward. "That's a navigation stone," he said. "They're unusual to find in anything aside from magic shops, but I had no idea Yugi had one. Given that his grandfather tended to travel a great deal when he was younger, though, I'm not entirely surprised."

"What does it do?" she asked, twirling it idly with her finger. "Thystia's not exactly the most magical of places, remember? Most of the magic there is simple show-pony spellwork, not anything like I've seen during my stay here."

"It's simple, really. In order to use it, you hold it in your hand, think of the place you wish to go and the route you wish to take, speak it into the stone, and then attach it to your horse's bridle. The location is then transmitted to the horse's mind and it takes you to that place on the road you specified. For example, if I wanted to go back to the lair I would say 'Bakura's lair, the road less traveled' and my horse would take me there via the road few travelers know about," he replied. "You must clearly form the mental image of your destination in your mind when you tell the stone. The roads are something the stone picks up on for itself, but the destination is up to you."

"And Yami thinks I need this…why?" she asked, puzzled.

Ryou shrugged.

Mai sighed impatiently. "Does he even know what I'll need_ any_ of these items for?" she said.

Another helpless shrug and a sheepish laugh was all she got in reply and she scowled. "Never mind. I'll just see what else he gave me and get this over with," she muttered.

Mai placed the vials and the navigation stone back into the pouch and turned her attention to the last item that remained on the table. The object had been wrapped in parchment and her name was written on the front in dark ink; the ink seemed to move in the dim lighting, but Mai attributed it to an active imagination. She gingerly unwrapped it, uncertain of what she'd find, but then gasped as an golden framed amethyst tumbled into her hand, fitting snugly into her palm; around the frame was a phrase written in Latin: _Memini Q__uid Oblitus Es. _It took her some time to translate it, inwardly cursing at the one who'd written in Latin.

"'I remember what you have forgotten'," she read aloud at last, frowning. "This is a memory gem. My father has one of these,"

Memory gems were most commonly found in the markets of Thystia, used as an extension of their user's memories. Her father's memory had been fading lately and he had a memory gem that he used to recall important laws or what had been said in meetings; she did not know the exact details surrounding the gem, but supposedly the larger the gemstone the more memories it could recall. She had seen these gems at work in the gambling halls or in the treasury in addition to seeing the one her father had.

"Yami must still think I'm missing some memories," she mused, turning the gem over in her hand. "I don't understand why, as it seems I remember everything just fine."

She reached for the parchment and unfolded it to see if there was an explanation. Sure enough, Yami had left her a note on the parchment, written in the same black ink that had been on the front of the paper:

_This was a gift from __Téa__ to Yugi to try and help me with my lost memories, but as the magic binding me is older than the magic of any memory gem I feel you would benefit most from having it. The chances are high you know how to use this, given your country of origin, but in case you have forgotten just hold the gem and say _Priori Memoriam_. It will show you what you have forgotten; it will also read the memories of all who touch it when the spell is spoken._

_ I will offer a word of caution: using the gem will both enlighten and endanger you._

"Aaaand more cryptic nonsense. Thank you, Yami," she said irritably, crumpling the parchment. "He either wants me to use the gem or he doesn't, and I wish he'd just come out and say what he means."

"I don't know what his intentions are in giving that to you, but it would be wise to adhere to that warning he gave you in that note," said Ryou darkly. "He does not often warn people, so for him to do so in this instance is a clear indication that he thinks it's dangerous."

"Yeah, but that's only if I know what he's warning me about," she grumbled. "I saw how well he warned Jou before he used that discerning spell on him—not that he even got to the spell stage of things."

Suddenly uncomfortable with Jou's mention, she put the memory gem back inside the pouch. As an afterthought she rummaged in her moneybag to place the angel necklace Eatos had given her inside the new bag and tucked it into a pocket in her skirt; it had been getting in her way all morning when she had tried to pay for things. She looked back at Ryou hesitantly before she asked, "How have you been doing since I left?"

Ryou offered a wan smile. "Not very well, actually," he replied tiredly. "Yugi was badly hurt in the attack—no, Jou did not cause his injuries. Something broke Yugi's barrier and the magical backlash overwhelmed him. He'll be fine," he added hastily, noticing Mai's suddenly alarmed expression. "It seems it's his turn to rest inside the Millennium Puzzle until he recovers fully. Yami has completely taken over Yugi's body in the meantime."

"What about Marik? Téa too," she said, trying to sound as if she was not deliberately leaving one name out.

Ryou raised an eyebrow but did not comment on it. "Marik's bruised but that was fixed with a healing potion. Téa was not hurt at all and she's staying at our lair…I'm thoroughly convinced she's waiting to see if Yugi will be all right. We had to leave Yugi's shop behind, unfortunately, and a couple days ago palace guards tried to arrest Yami."

"They did?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes, and they learned a valuable lesson—never play a Shadow Game with Yami. He sent them back to the castle once he was finished with them. You act as if this is the first time you've heard of this."

"It is. I didn't even know that Jean Claude had sent anyone after him," she said, suddenly realizing that the drunken-looking guards she had seen yesterday morning must have been the same ones Yami had dealt with. "Will they be okay?"

"Likely so," replied Ryou. "At first it was taking your life into your own hands if you challenged Yami to a Shadow Game, but thanks to Yugi he's mellowed out enough to make the games not nearly so condemning. They'll recover soon enough."

He paused, seeming to struggle with adding onto the conversation; likely it was because he was waiting for Mai to ask about Jou. When she said nothing, however, he cleared his throat and said awkwardly, "And, ah, Valon's been hanging around us as well."

Mai remembered Alister's death and her features darkened. Maybe now was the time to get some answers about what had happened yesterday. "Has he now?" she asked grimly. "Does he know what Bakura did yet, or have you been keeping that under wraps?"

Ryou blinked, a puzzled frown on his face. "What?"

"I'm guessing you haven't told Valon about the part where Bakura murdered Alister in cold blood," she said flatly.

The white-haired man's face paled. "Where he…what on earth are you talking about?" he asked, looking horrified as he half rose from his seat. "Start from the beginning, Highness, where did you hear about this?"

Mai relayed to him what had happened yesterday, leaving nothing out as she spoke. Ryou was shaking his head even before she had finished speaking, paling even further when she went silent. "Alister was unstrung_," _he breathed softly. "Oh no…"

He looked back at Mai moments later and said sharply, "Bakura wasn't responsible for that attack. He's been at the lair ever since we arrived there nearly two weeks ago…something's spooked him, though he'll never admit it and I've no idea what he's so worried about, and he's not wandered from that clearing since. Neither has Valon."

"And aside from the thieves who can vouch for that?" she said.

"Yami and Téa both can, as will Jou and I. Bakura was nowhere near the castle any time yesterday. Even if he was, he certainly would have never killed Alister."

At Mai's dubious look Ryou scoffed, a rare look of annoyance crossing his features. "Your life is not the only one Valon's saved. While Bakura's moral compass doesn't point exactly north he still wouldn't repay Valon by killing Alister. Besides, it would not be nearly challenging enough for him to attack a small group of guards. If anything, he'd try robbing the prince while he was traveling with an army."

Mai's eyes narrowed. "I thought so," she announced, sitting up. "I didn't think Bakura would attack that small a group, either."

Ryou blinked in surprise. "So why did you say he had?" he asked, a perplexed frown making its way onto his features.

"I wanted to hear it from you what happened, as you're the closest thing to Bakura I'm going to get," she replied grimly. "You just confirmed what I was thinking. The only alternative left aside from Bakura attacking was that the captain of the guard and his men are lying about what happened to Alister."

Ryou frowned. "You think they killed him?"

"I do," she said with conviction. "I've been uneasy about certain events going on at the castle since my return. Maybe it's because I wasn't thinking about it before, but now that I'm examining things it seems that there's plenty to be suspicious of—remember my earlier thoughts that Jean Claude was the one who de-scaled Mizu?"

When Ryou nodded, Mai told him what Jean Claude had said to her the day before. Ryou did not let her finish the story, however—he was shaking his head with visible disbelief, his face darkening at every word she spoke. "I've told you before, Kaiba would have never allowed such a weapon to be created and given as a gift to just anyone," he said. "As for the story involving the blacksmith I find it just as unbelievable. It could be possible that the blacksmith might find a scale in passing, since dragons do occasionally shed them…but to have so many as to make a sword means he'd have to live near the dragons and Kaiba doesn't allow anyone to do that."

"So that means Jean Claude is still lying to me. Yay," she said flatly.

"Yes, but why? Can you think of any reason for him to deceive you?"

She shook her head. "He seems like a braggart and a vain one at that. I think he's only trying to impress me," she said. "But if that's what he's up to, he's failed spectacularly."

The sound of angry shouts from outside the wagon startled both of them and, after exchanging quick glances, Mai hurried to the entrance of the wagon and peered out. She could see a crowd gathering at one of the stalls, but she could not tell what was happening from her current spot.

Ryou, who had gotten his disguise back on remarkably fast, joined her. "I can't see what happened from here, Highness. You're on your own if you want to find out what's going on," he said. "I can't go into the crowd, too much chance of someone finding out who I am—"

"Don't worry about it," she reassured him before taking off, darting into the crowd and trying to get to the front of it to see what was going on. At first she tried being somewhat polite, but when she was nearly knocked off her feet she growled and began elbowing her way through. She finally made it to the front and saw what everyone's attention was focused on.

An Enterran woman was holding a small knapsack at her side, backing away from the two burly men advancing on her. She was wearing a white short-sleeved peasant top and a deep green skirt, a blue sash tied around her waist; at her sandaled feet was a quarterstaff, but the young woman could clearly not reach it without risking being grabbed by the men.

Behind her was another Enterran woman who was wearing a cream colored sleeveless dress, coupled a matching waist length veil atop her head which widened and spread below her shoulders; two parts of her hair came from behind her ears and spread over her shoulders, held in place by golden bands, and on her upper arms and ankles were matching bands. A hand was at her neck, her fingers barely touching a necklace at her throat, and Mai jumped because she realized she had seen the strange eye on the golden chain before.

"You are a thief!" called a third man from his stall. He was short, balding, and overweight, and Mai realized it had to be the stall owner. "How dare you try to steal from me!"

The first girl shook her head vehemently. "You're wrong!" she cried, looking both indignant and scared. "I didn't steal anything from you!"

"Silence, girl!" snarled the owner angrily. "You have the audacity to lie to me? I saw you slip the bottle of incense and those earrings into your bag!"

Mai's eyes narrowed. This was something she'd seen before in the markets of Thystia. Crooked merchants would sometimes place something on an unsuspecting passerby and then raise a ruckus; the passerby would then pay the money owed to avoid a confrontation with the peacekeepers. It was one of the oldest tricks in the book and any seasoned visitor to the marketplaces knew how to avoid it—but this poor girl had obviously failed to avoid becoming a target.

The other woman spoke calmly, her blue eyes locked on the other man. "You have no other proof than your eyes. Who is to say you did not place those items in her bag when no one else was watching?"

"And I suppose you saw me? I didn't see you anywhere near here until your friend started making a fuss," retorted the shop owner.

A small smile played on the older woman's lips. "I did see you, though not in the manner you are thinking of," she replied. "If you have no other proof than your own eyes, I am afraid that you cannot claim Sivya a thief. For that matter, even if we find the items on her it will not prove she took them, as you could have put them on her to frame her."

Mai raised an eyebrow. This woman had come to the same conclusion she had about the scam the owner was running. So they weren't entirely clueless about the markets.

The shop owner seemed to realize this as well and he waved the two men forward. "This seems to be a matter for the peacekeepers to decide!" he announced.

One of the two burly men reached out to seize the frightened looking girl, but the other Enterran stepped forward and placed herself in front of the younger. This did not entirely deter the man and he grabbed her arm. "You think that will stop me?" he sneered.

"Ishizu!" cried the younger girl with alarm.

It took her a few moments before Mai realized where she had head that name before and she froze. An Enterran woman with blue eyes, wearing a necklace that had the same symbol on its front that was on Yami's and Bakura's Shadow items and who answered to that name…it couldn't be…

Someone much taller than she was pushed past her with a brusque "Excuse me" and strode forward. She could not see very much of the newcomer's features because of the hood that covered his face, but what she could see told her that the man was from Enterra as well.

He was taller than both of the men antagonizing the girl were, looming over them with an ominous silence. "Release her," he ordered quietly but firmly.

The shop owner looked indignant. "But she is shielding someone who stole from my stall!" he snapped.

"Neither of them are thieves," he retorted. "Release her—now."

"Or what?" sneered the man holding the girl. "You have no weapon."

The Enterran's foot abruptly swung back behind him and he kicked the fallen quarterstaff into the air in an almost impossibly fast and smooth motion; he caught it when it went airborne and then brought it whistling into the man's chest, knocking him off his feet and forcing him to release his captive.

Mai was impressed. He'd done that in less than ten seconds.

The motion had caused the Enterran's hood to fly back, revealing a head that had been shaved bald save for a long black ponytail at the back of his head, and as his face came into view Mai caught a glimpse of golden eyes. Her gaze shifted onto the left side of the man's face and she stiffened even further.

The scars that lined that side of his face had been carved painstakingly in ancient Enterran, all the characters written in almost impossibly straight lines; they extended from the front corner of his eye to just shy of his ear and they ended just beneath his jaw.

Mai's breath caught.

"I have one now," the Enterran man stated evenly. His voice held the barest trace of a growl as he gently ushered the woman behind him. "Do not lay another hand on my sister."

His sister…if that was Ishizu, then that taller man was…

_"No," said Marik with such conviction that it startled her. "__Ishizu is with Rishid. I'm willing to bet my life on it—Rishid would have never allowed them to separate him from Ishizu, and the same goes for my sister. Find one and you'll find the other not far behind."_

Mai fought not to groan. Marik had been right—the next time they met she knew she would never hear the end of it.

"Move aside!" called a new authoritative voice, and the crowd parted to allow four armored men to pass. The peacekeepers had arrived at last to sort through the chaos. Mai stepped to the side to allow them in front of her and frowned.

The stall owner jabbed a vicious finger at the group of Enterrans. "Thank heavens you've arrived! They were trying to make off with my goods and the man was getting violent! Look what he did to my cousin!" he cried.

The Enterran man clearly looked as if he was ready to continue fighting when the blue-eyed woman—Ishizu, she knew now—gently shook her head and murmured something in Enterran. Her gaze then shifted to where Mai was standing and she got the unsettling feeling that Ishizu was asking for her help.

Well, why not? She'd never backed down from a challenge before.

"Hello, boys," Mai announced cheerfully, waving at them to catch their attention as she strode forward. When several startled gazes shot to her she curtsied and continued on with, "I was in the crowd and could not help but overhear what's happening, so I decided to get involved."

"And who are you?" asked the shop owner suspiciously.

Mai winked at him. "Oh don't fret over me just yet," she said airily. "We'll worry about that in a minute once this is settled. Peacekeepers, you can take your leave. I'll resolve this argument."

The armored men glanced at her briefly before bowing and stepping away, disappearing from view; they had seen Mai before, when Jean Claude had toured the city with her in tow, and they already knew her identity.

"Now, first order of business—sweetie, turn out your bag," she continued, turning her attention to the younger Enterran girl. "Don't be afraid, honey, go on."

The girl hesitated and then slowly rummaged in the bag at her side, paling as her trembling hands lifted out a blue glass bottle and a pair of silver earrings, medium sized hoops attached to the end of a small chain. "I—I didn't take these," she said, looking fearfully around her. "You've got to believe me, I—!"

"I told you she had them!" said the shop owner, but Mai held a hand up to silence him.

"Now, now, settle down. I know what I'm doing, so let me work," she said with the slightest bit of impatience in her voice. Once she was satisfied she would not be interrupted any further, she looked around at the gathered crowd and called, "Did anyone here see her take these items?"

A murmur rose from the crowd and Mai noticed several shaking heads.

"Now, here's a different question: did anyone see this man place the items in her bag?" Mai called, and she got the same response as before. "I didn't think so."

"She took those things from my stall! There's no other way to explain why she would have them in her bag!" cried the shop owner. "Arrest her, peacekeepers!"

Mai shot the man a withering glare. "If I have to tell you to stay silent one more time then I won't settle this argument in your favor," she snapped, showing the first signs of irritation since her intervention.

The man glowered at her but said nothing further.

"Now, as I see it there's no way to prove either side of the story to be true," she continued, clapping her hands together as she looked to the owner. "As such…aside from your brutes, who else works in your stall?"

A smaller, younger boy raised his hand timidly and stepped forward, nervously adjusting his oversized cap over his red hair. "I'm the stall runner, ma'am," he explained. "I run the items for delivery."

"Do you know the prices of the items?" she asked.

The boy nodded, suddenly shy.

"Good. What would you say the price is for the combined total of the items?" she asked pleasantly. "And don't be afraid to speak the truth," she added, noticing the look the shop owner was directing at him.

The child shifted and then stammered, "S-Six gold pieces."

Mai smiled at him, then turned her attention back to the shop owner. "Is that correct?" she asked pleasantly, already knowing the answer.

When the man grudgingly nodded, Mai smiled and then rummaged in the money pouch at her side. She counted out seven gold coins and dropped them into the man's hand. "There you go. Now she gets to keep the bottle and earrings and you've received the gold necessary for payment."

The stall owner stared at the gold in his hand in disbelief and opened his mouth to argue, but then Mai said coldly, "If you don't like my decision then see your prince about it—but keep in mind that I am a princess of Thystia and a guest at his castle."

The man glowered and muttered sullenly under his breath but argued no further and returned to his stall. Behind her she heard the crowd tittering in laughter; clearly this was not the first time the stall owner had tried this maneuver and rarely had he been thwarted in such a manner.

Mai nodded in satisfaction, but she felt the eyes of the crowd on her and she shifted her gaze to them. "The show's over, folks. Move along now, go on, shoo," she said brightly, waving them on.

The crowd dispersed, but Mai was not surprised to see that the three Enterrans had remained where they were. Mai gestured for them to follow her and began marching away from the stall, heading back towards Ryou's wagon.

The moment they were away the younger Enterran girl hurried forward, catching Mai's arm. "I'm so sorry I caused trouble for you!" she said, looking alarmed. "I didn't mean to—"

"Easy, honey," Mai said soothingly. "You were the victim of a common trick found in the marketplace. Seasoned shoppers know better how to avoid them, but it's pretty obvious you're new to the markets. Don't feel bad," she added with a laugh, noticing the crestfallen look on her face. "I've fallen for that trick before. Just use a little more caution next time."

The girl looked suitably embarrassed and then shyly handed her the earrings and the incense bottle. "I have no use for these," she said. "You should have them, Princess."

"Oh I couldn't possibly…well, all right, I'll take the earrings," she amended, taking the jewelry. "Keep the bottle, though. You deserve some compensation for your troubles, Miss…?"

"That is Sivya. She and her brothers live well outside of Hermos, and though her brothers come here often it is her first time in the city," said Ishizu evenly as her blue-eyed gaze went to Mai. "Thank you for your aid."

Mai raised an eyebrow. "I would say you're welcome, but I'm getting an unsettling feeling that you were expecting me to help," she said, tipping her head to the golden choker around Ishizu's neck. "Did you foresee me coming?"

Sivya shot her a puzzled look, while Ishizu and Rishid exchanged subtle glances. At length Rishid asked, "What makes you ask such a question?"

Mai's other eyebrow rose. "You carry the Millennium Tauk, right, Ishizu? You could see me coming to help you."

Ishizu smiled mysteriously. "So you know my name, even. I did see a meeting between us, but not how it would come about. I did not deliberately place Sivya in harm's way, if that is what you fear," she replied. "The chance of encountering you here was why my brother and I asked Sivya to bring us to the city."

Sivya nodded. "My brothers had to leave for Enterra with our flocks a few weeks ago, but I remained behind because Rishid and Ishizu were far too exhausted to travel—they were about to collapse when I bumped into them," she said, giving a worried glance to her companions. "They'd been lost for the better part of a week."

At Mai's startled expression Ishizu said evenly, "My gift of foresight does not encompass everything, Princess. Our map was lost in a storm and we were put severely off course. Sivya was kind enough to board us until we regained our strength."

"Before you continue I do believe you owe us an explanation," said Rishid sternly. "How is it you knew of the Millennium Tauk and its abilities, as well as my sister's name? That knowledge is not common place."

Mai glanced at Sivya, not immediately replying. Did this girl know of Marik and his involvement with the thieves? If she did not know and inadvertently drew attention to the group by her reaction…but then again Mai had to at least point Marik's siblings in the right direction. She had promised Marik she would do what she could if she met them and she was a woman of her word.

She immediately repressed the memory of her promise to Jou. Now was not the time to remember that.

"You're right," she said at last, meeting Rishid's suspicious gaze. "But then again, your younger brother isn't exactly a conventional source of information."

Rishid's and Ishizu's eyes widened and they stared mutely at her, the sound of the market and its shoppers the only thing audible for several moments; Sivya shot everyone an increasingly puzzled look, uncertain as to what was going on.

It was Rishid who broke the silence, all traces of his suspicion gone. "You…you've seen him?" he asked slowly, hope lighting his eyes. "He is all right?"

"Well, yeah. He's got a rather healthy hatred of anyone wearing a crown and I'm not exactly one of his nearest and dearest friends, but he was fine when I left him," she replied. "Considering I spent the better part of a week and a half with him, too, I'd say he's doing just fine. He's been looking for you, by the way."

Rishid relaxed and a smile began to grow; Ishizu's face lost the expression of detached dignity she'd been carrying for the space of a few moments and Mai could see that both of them were overjoyed at the news.

She frowned and asked Ishizu, "You didn't know where he was?"

Ishizu shook her head. "Bakura is in possession of a Shadow item and it is difficult to see the future of those who carry Shadow items," she explained quietly. "I've been unaware of my brother's whereabouts or his welfare since we parted ways years ago."

Sivya jumped. "Bakura?" she asked, her voice lowering as she shot a furtive glance around her. "Wait, does that mean the younger brother you were telling me about was Marik?"

"You know about Marik being with the thieves?" asked Mai, surprised.

The girl nodded, her eyes lighting. "He and Ryou ended up lost in a blizzard last winter and stayed with my brothers and I until the storm passed," she explained. "We'd had to remain behind that winter because the flock was too weak to travel. I had no idea that you were the older siblings Marik spoke to me about. I'm happy to hear he's okay—it's been some time since I've seen him and I was hoping he'd come by again soon."

"Then it turns out our meeting was most fortuitous," said Ishizu warmly. "I'd wondered why we were guided to your home."

Mai smiled. "So it's a small world after all. Speaking of Ryou, come with me. I know you and your brother are going to want to see him, Ishizu, and as Marik isn't in Enterra you're going to need a guide that will take you there," she announced, gesturing for them to follow her into Ryou's wagon.

Ryou's back had been turned to her and as she entered the wagon he partially turned, the old gypsy's voice coming from underneath the hood. "Care to have your fortune to—oh, Highness, it's you," said Ryou when he saw her, his voice shifting back to normal. "What was all the commotion about?"

Sivya, who had been right behind Mai as she entered the wagon, gasped in surprise. "Ryou, why are you dressed as a woman?" she said, staring curiously at him.

Ryou gained a Bakura-esque scowl on his face. "That's it," he said, sounding annoyed as he threw his hands in the air, pulling off the cloak. "When Yugi recovers I'm going to make him teach me how to magically form a disguise."

Sivya looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable—"

Ryou did a double take and then hastily cut over the beginnings of the Enterran girl's apology. "Sivya, I didn't realize it was you! Don't worry, I've been told before my disguise was a poor one," he said hastily. "I'm surprised to see you! I would have thought you would have been off to Enterra by now."

He looked to Mai and said, "What was the commotion about? Did it involve Sivya?"

"Sivya ran afoul of a crooked shop owner, but she'll tell you about that later. When do you leave for the forest?" Mai asked.

Ryou sobered. "As soon as possible. Bakura's likely furious at me for leaving and it's best I don't linger here for long, or he might very well start attacking and maiming people…I'll most likely leave tonight, before the city gates close. Why?"

"Nothing much, just that I need you to guide a couple people to Bakura's lair," she said pleasantly.

Ryou stared in surprise and opened his mouth to either object or ask for an explanation when his eyes moved past her and recognition flitted over his face—the rest of the group had just entered the wagon. "I don't believe it," he breathed. "Rishid…Ishizu…?"

"It has been some time, Ryou," said Rishid. "I am glad to see you are unharmed and looking well."

Ryou's eyes brightened and he began to grin. "I could say the same to both of you," he said, looking from one to the other. "You have no earthly idea of how happy Marik is going to be when he sees you…and you're both still together! I had feared you would have been split up long before we ever found you."

Ishizu's eyebrow arched. "The slave traders learned quickly that separating my brother and I would not be possible," she said evenly, though her eyes flashed. Rishid shot his younger sister an amused smile but said nothing—Mai gained the impression there was a story behind this statement.

There were a few more minutes of conversation between them, during which Mai stood awkwardly near the exit and wondered if she should leave. It was not until she shifted toward the wagon entrance that Ryou noticed her and said, "Goodness, Highness, I forgot. You need to be going, don't you?"

Mai offered him a small smile. "I'm pretty sure that everyone at the castle is going to be wondering where I am, and given how clingy Jean Claude is…yeah, I think I need to go," she said. As she turned to leave she paused, then looked back at Ryou. "Do me a favor, Ryou."

"Anything, Princess," said Ryou. "What is it?"

"…Tell Jou that I want to see him when the next new moon comes around," she said quietly, shifting uncomfortably under the startled look shot to her. "I need to talk to him about what happened and hiding in the castle won't get anything solved. Be careful on your way home, Ryou."

Mai left the wagon before she could be called back, turning the corner of the wagon to head out of sight of the doorway but stopping shortly afterward. She leaned against the side of the wagon and sighed, closing her eyes. _Jou…oh please tell me I made the right decision._

"Princess?"

Mai opened her eyes and her head turned to where Ishizu was watching her. "Forgive me for interrupting your thoughts," continued Ishizu calmly, "but I did have another reason for coming to Hermos and it involves you. I knew you would be in this city, which was why I asked Sivya to lead my brother and I here. I did not know you knew Marik, so that was an unexpected and pleasant surprise—but even so, I will tell you why I've sought you out."

Mai's eyebrows rose. "Go ahead."

Ishizu's hand went to the Tauk on her neck and it gleamed briefly. "For some time now, the Tauk has shown me your face, as well as the shadows that surround you. I've been unable to delve into why I am continuously shown your face, only that there is something around you that requires urgent attention. It has also delivered a message that I must give to you—it is the least I can do, after what you've done to help us."

Ishizu's eyes closed before Mai could say anything and the Tauk began to glow. In a low but queenly voice the Enterran woman spoke. "_'That which was taken is buried beneath the sand, trapped behind glass. The answer you seek will come when you have breathed your last_.'"

Mai's breath caught as Ishizu finished and she took a step backward, inadvertently bumping into the wall of the wagon. "What is that supposed to mean? Is it telling me I'm going to die soon?" she demanded, scared and angry all at once.

"I do not understand what it means, Your Highness, and I apologize for distressing you," said Ishizu, opening her eyes. The briefest hint of sympathy lit her eyes. "Do keep in mind, however, that not everything I see comes to pass—at least, not in the way most think they do."

Mai groaned, some of her fear dissipating. "More riddles. What is it with anyone holding a Shadow item speaking in riddles?"

Ishizu offered her a mysterious smile. "Unfortunately, I do not have an answer for that question either," she replied, a fleeting look of amusement crossing her features. She sobered and said, "Do be careful, Your Highness. There's something ominous and evil coming this way, and while I cannot see what it is I know it somehow involves you."

Mai lifted her chin and, after a moment's pause, grinned at her even though she felt the furthest thing from confidence. "I'm no stranger to trouble, honey," she said with a wink. "I can take care of myself. Whatever it is, I'm pretty sure I can handle it."

* * *

><p>Mai glanced around furtively before leading her horse into the castle stables. She had no doubts Jean Claude would be looking for her and right now her thoughts were all over the place—the last thing she wanted right now was a visit from the prince.<p>

She had bumped into the "search party" Jean Claude had sent out to locate her just as she had been leaving the city; Mai had been forced to repress a laugh at the annoyed expression on Vivian's face when she recounted to the princess what Jean Claude had ordered. Deciding that the group might as well have something to do, she sent them back into the city to pick up the items she had bought that day (and promising Vivian a generous consolation prize for putting up with the large group).

The ride back to the castle had been a silent one. Mai had been mulling over everything that had happened in the marketplace and even now she was still reeling from Ishizu's prophecy; she was also largely conflicted over the decision she had made with Jou. With any luck both of these things would work out, but even so…

She shuddered. Ishizu's prophecy had hinted she would die trying to find answers to her questions…but what were the answers for and what questions would lead to this prophecy coming to pass? Would she die if she kept delving into the background story behind Jean Claude's sword? What if she was killed trying to break Jou's curse? She had not forgotten that promise to Jou and was going to fulfill that vow, but even so with the revelation of Ishizu's prophecy she was suddenly hesitant—and that was a feeling she did not enjoy.

"You caused quite a commotion with your little disappearing act," commented a gruff voice behind her, and Mai jumped when Raphael stepped into view. He looked irritable and Mai knew he was still angry at her for what had happened that morning. "The prince was looking for you and I nearly got whipped again for letting you leave."

Mai repressed a scowl at that thought. Really, that man…Jean Claude needed to learn how to keep his head and how to identify a proper crisis. "It was worth it for an afternoon of peace and quiet," she retorted, handing Raphael the reins to her mare. She turned and was about to stalk out of the stables when she heard something inside the violet pouch at her side gently _clink_ and she stopped, turning around to study the burly man. She could still see the angry red lines from where his injuries were still bleeding and on the few visible lines she could see the beginnings of infection.

She debated, then rummaged in the pouch and lifted out one of the vials at her side. "Raphael."

When he looked at her Mai held out the bottle. "Take this," she said, looking away as he came closer. "It'll help with your wounds. Get those taken care of before infection really starts setting in."

Raphael examined the vial and the briefest hint of surprise flew across his features. "Healing potion?" he questioned, eyeing the golden potion. "Where did you get this?"

Even as Mai began to reply, however, Raphael shook his head and held it out to her. "Take it back. I don't want this."

The blonde woman scowled at him. "Swallow your pride, Raphael, and take the stupid thing," she retorted.

Raphael's face darkened. "I want nothing from you. I can take care of myself."

"'Thank you for your considerate gift that you didn't have to give me, Princess,'" she said, her voice taking on a gravelly edge to it in an attempt to sound like Raphael. "'I'm so glad you decided to help.'"

"I saw what happened the last time you offered your help and it didn't end so well for Alister," Raphael growled, his eyes flashing. Nonetheless, he tucked the bottle into the belt at his side. "Now if you excuse me, I have to unsaddle your horse."

"I already said I'm sorry!" she snapped, following after him. "I don't have the power to bring him back from the dead and I can't go back in time! I didn't deliberately send him to his death!"

Raphael glowered at her, his jaw tightening. "Don't play the innocent act, Highness," he said coldly. "We both know whose side you're on."

"Whose side I'm…look, pal, the only side I'm ever on is my own," she said, her voice rising in anger as she glared up at him. "If my opinion just _happens_ to coincide with yours then so be it, but I only look after myself! That's how it's _always_ been. Besides, Jean Claude's been lying through his teeth from day one and right now I don't trust him as far as I can throw him, so even if I did pick sides I wouldn't exactly be picking his at the moment!"

Raphael's angry features softened for the briefest of seconds and she saw something close to confusion cross his features. "He's lying to _you?" _he asked. "About what?"

"Pretty much all the things he's said he's done, especially how he got the sword from the White Dragons," she replied, folding her arms over her chest. "And now that I've actually seen Ryou—that's where I got that healing potion, by the way—I'm not convinced Bakura killed Alister. Maybe you should quit spending your energy blaming me for something I didn't do and focus instead on Gurimo and his men!"

Raphael stared. "Ryou…he was in the city?" he asked, but before Mai could reply he scoffed, his face darkening once more. "Oh, _now_ you figured out Bakura didn't do it? You actually had to ask Ryou about that…what, Jean Claude didn't tell you?"

"…What?"

Raphael studied the look of dawning realization that was blossoming across Mai's features, his angry features fading away. It was with a slow and suspicious tone that he asked, "You really didn't know that Jean Claude ordered Alister to be executed?"

Mai shook her head, stunned. "No, I didn't," she admitted, reeling from the revelation. "I could understand why he did it, since you and Alister were involved with the coup-d'état and it's a lot easier to only deal with one of you. What I don't get was why he had to resort to framing Bakura instead of just executing him."

"Coup- d'état? You're really trying to milk that cover story for all it's worth, aren't you?" said Raphael derisively.

"A cover story for what, exactly?" Mai asked, her frown deepening. "How about you elaborate on what you're talking about and quit with the riddles—I've had enough of those for today."

"You know what I'm talking about, Highness," said Raphael, and he turned to lead the horse away.

"No I don't!" she growled, stomping in front of him. "I've had enough of all this mystery talk! I want an answer, Raphael—what is going on around here? Don't act like you don't know, you know _exactly_ what's happening in this castle. If I have to resort to ordering you to talk then I'll do it!" she added when Raphael glowered at her.

"I could say the same for you," he retorted, turning to walk away. He stopped, however and turned back to her with a frown. "Shouldn't you already be in the loop with Jean Claude, anyways?"

"In the loop with what, Raphael? What is it you know about this?" she asked impatiently. "Tell me!"

Something close to realization dawned on Raphael's face as he gazed at her. "You _really_ don't know…he's already proven himself to be a liar, what's to say he wasn't lying to you?" he murmured, speaking more to himself than Mai. He tethered her horse to a nearby pole and began pacing. "But that doesn't make sense, because how could he lie to you? You wouldn't fall for it once you saw what was going on here or if you were in on it…not unless you…"

Raphael abruptly stopped pacing and turned to face Mai. "When you ran into us back in the forest you were coming from the direction Yugi's shop was in. Yami's obviously around, if those guards yesterday were any indication," he said.

Mai took a step back, startled by the intensity of his stare. "And if he was? Yeah, I was in his company, but why is that so important to you?"

"Did he say anything about a spell you might be under?" he asked, ignoring her reply.

Mai felt the color leave her face. "How…how could you have known that?"

Raphael did not reply, instead striding forward and leaning over her; Mai took a step back, but the taller man caught her upper arms and gripped them. Her injured shoulder, though mostly healed by now thanks to Ryou,was still tender and Mai was not going to take a chance on re-opening her wound. "Raphael, what are you—?"

"Listen to me," he said in a low growl, cutting over her voice. "You can't trust anything you've heard or seen in this castle, especially if it came from Jean Claude. If you're on your own side now's the best time to stay there—don't believe anything you hear while in Jean Claude's company."

"Why not?" she asked, struggling when his grip tightened. "If you leave bruises, Raphael, I swear I'll—Raphael?"

The man had stiffened, his eyes widening before they dulled and his face clearing of emotion. Mai realized with an unpleasant jolt that she had seen this blank expression once before, and that had been just before Jou had attacked her in the clearing. "Raphael?"

The man abruptly shoved her away and then stormed away, leaving the stables and turning the corner before she could react. It took Mai a moment to process this latest turn of events and when she did Mai sprang into action.

"Raphael!" she called, running after him. "Raphael, wait! Come back—OOF!"

Mai had not been watching where she had been going and ran into someone, nearly losing her balance as she stumbled backwards. A hand caught her arm and steadied her; Mai looked up into a familiar face, his features brightening at the sight of her.

"Princess Mai, you've returned!" Jean Claude cried, looking much happier now that she was present. "I'm so glad to see you here, safe and sound. It seems your lady in waiting found you—I'm so relieved to see you're all right. Where's your escorting group?"

"In the city, but that's not important. Where's Raphael?" she said, looking around the courtyard for any sign of the blond man. "I was just talking to him—"

"Raphael?" he asked, shooting her a concerned frown. "Why, what's he done now? What did he say? If he's offended you, my dear, I'll be more than happy to straighten it out."

Mai did not immediately reply, her gaze crossing over everything in the courtyard. There was no way for Raphael to have disappeared so fast, and yet there was no sign of the burly man anywhere around—it was almost as if he had vanished into thin air. "I don't understand…he was just here."

Mai heard the sound of horses and she watched Vivian and the group of guards she'd been with enter through the castle gates, bundles on some of the horse's backs. Jean Claude noticed them return and his face brightened. "Oh, so you went shopping? Goodness, my dear, you should have told me. I would have gone with you in a heartbeat. Why don't you tell the men where you want your things stored and we'll discuss another shopping outing over dinner? It's nearly dinnertime now, you know. And don't fret about Raphael," he added when she hesitated. "I'll have him speak with you later."

"…All right. Jean Claude, let's have dinner together," she said, managing to keep her voice light-hearted. "I want to talk to you about a couple of problems I'm having and I'm sure only you can answer my queries," she continued. She hated how she was practically simpering right now, but it seemed Jean Claude responded well to having his ego fed, and given what she'd just heard she wanted to keep any suspicions he might have from being aroused until she had the answers she was looking for.

"Oh, certainly, my dear Princess," said Jean Claude brightly, waving her toward the group of guards. "I do believe Vivian needs your assistance, so you might want to go on over. I'll be there in just a minute."

Mai reluctantly nodded and gave up on trying to find Raphael around her; she'd wait until tomorrow morning, when he'd more than likely be back in the stables, and then she'd drag the answers out of him then. She curtsied to Jean Claude and hurried over to the group to begin relaying orders.

Jean Claude made certain Mai's attention was on the group before shooting a surreptitious look at a spot near the stable, where he could still see the shadows receding back into the castle walls. Noticing the broken bottle of potion still visible on the path, he strode over and, using his foot, swiftly nudged the pieces of glass into the grass at the base of the wall. He scuffed his feet to put dirt over the spilled golden potion before his gaze went to the still pulsing shadows.

"That was close," he muttered. "Don't kill him, but get him out of sight. I'll deal with him later."

The shadows completely dissipated and Jean Claude turned back, striding to where Mai was standing. "Now, my dear, let me assist you," he said brightly. "What can I help you with?"


	25. The Truth

_…So I vanished for a lot longer than I had intended. Oops. Well, to make it up to you guys, I made it a nice long update._

_Before you start, I want to give a huge and heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone following/favoriting this. I never expected it to be so popular and the support it's getting makes me one very happy authoress. Thanks, guys! I hope I continue to meet expectations!_

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><p>"Are you all right, Princess?" asked Vivian, holding out a violet colored dress for Mai to change into. Mai had bought it while she had been out earlier that day to avoid having to wear another one of the uncomfortable gowns her mother had packed.<p>

Mai reached around the changing screen and took the new gown before starting to undress. "You mean is my shoulder feeling better?" she replied, shooting a pleased smile at the very faint and thin lines on her newly healed shoulder. "I'd say it is."

"No, not that—though I do wonder how on earth it healed over so fast when this morning there were still scabs," said Vivian. "I'm talking about you in general. Something's troubling you."

Mai pulled off the white gown and hung it over the top of the screen, her smile fading. "Raphael said something that's bothering me, that's all."

She did not have to look around the screen to know the black-haired woman was bristling. "Did he say anything untoward to you?" she asked, the barest hint of menace in her voice.

Mai groaned in exasperation, dropping her head so that it touched the screen. "Jean Claude asked me that too, and the answer is the same: no, Raphael didn't say anything inappropriate," she retorted. She sobered and said, "He warned me."

There was a long pause. "A warning? About what?"

"He said to remain on my own side and not to trust anything Jean Claude told me," she said grimly, pulling the dress over her head. Her voice was muffled by the dress's fabric when she continued speaking. "He also hinted that I might be under a spell."

Another long stretch of silence. "What do you mean by that?" asked Vivian sharply at last. "What sort of spell? Did he cast it?"

Mai peered around the frame of the screen with arched eyebrows. "Do you honestly see Raphael dressed up in full warlock attire and waving his magical staff through the air, merrily chanting nonsense as he does some ritualistic dance?"

Vivian made an odd sound, a mix between a laugh and a sigh. "No."

"Then he didn't cast it." Mai moved back behind the screen and pulled the dress fully down her body. "Remember the wizard I told you about?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?" asked Vivian suspiciously.

"He mentioned something about a spell I might be under," Mai replied, stepping out and taking a seat on the bed. Vivian began lacing the back of the dress and tying it together as Mai continued. "It's just a little odd that Raphael seemed to come to the same conclusion that wizard did, despite the fact I know they haven't talked to each other since I've been here."

"Well what sort of spell is it that they claim you're under?" asked Vivian, finishing her task quickly. She next started on Mai's hair, starting to brush it out in order to style it.

Mai did not immediately reply. She did not want to alarm Vivian about the potential of being under a memory spell, but at the same time Vivian was persistent enough to eventually drag it out of her—and Mai did not want the other woman to mention it at dinner. For some reason, the idea of Jean Claude knowing about the supposed memory spell she was under made her uneasy and Mai did not want anyone spreading that rumor around the castle.

"I don't know," she said at last, deciding on a partial truth. She did not know what sort of memory spell she might be under, and that was not even counting the fact she had no idea what she could have possibly forgotten. "I'd appreciate not having it brought up with Jean Claude, though."

"Why not?"

Mai turned, forcing Vivian to abandon her current task. "If I don't even understand what it is I'm up against, how can I expect Jean Claude to know what to do? He seems to overreact when things don't go his way or if he doesn't know what to do."

Vivian made a face. "He does overreact, doesn't he?" she replied, using her hands to put Mai's head back forward. She began braiding Mai's hair. "I'm guessing that's not the entire reason you don't want him to know."

"I don't want Jean Claude going after Yugi and Yami just because he fears I've got the possibility of being under a spell. I've not yet seen any proof of me being bewitched and Yugi and Yami did not do anything wrong by Jean Claude, so…well, I owe them," she said impatiently, throwing her hands in the air. "I can't repay their kindness by getting them banished."

"Hold still, Highness," replied Vivian with an exasperated sigh. "It's hard enough braiding this mane you call your hair."

"Watch it, Vivian," Mai retorted, though she relaxed. "You don't have to do that, you know. I don't like it when my hair's up unless I'm doing something messy."

"And that happens once every blue moon," replied Vivian fondly. She abandoned the braid and instead brushed her hair back out; it fell down her back in loose, tumbling curls.

"Speaking of which…Jou's coming back the next new moon," Mai said, deciding now was as good a time as any to tell Vivian. She tried to keep the nervousness out of her voice. "I took your advice. I'm giving him another chance."

The gentle tugging on her hair stopped, followed by Vivian's hand coming to rest on her shoulder. "If you want me to, I'll stay in the same room and if things get out of hand I can be there this time," she said reassuringly. "I don't know what it is about this Jou, but I feel like he's someone I've met before."

Mai said nothing for a long moment, but she did not have to—Vivian was speaking for more than one person with that statement. A sudden thought occurred to her and Mai sat up straighter, forcing back the gasp.

Yami had said it before, how could she have forgotten it? He'd implied that the memory spell was directly linked to Jou's curse. At the time, Mai had dismissed it simply because she had no idea how she was supposed to know Jou, but now that she was thinking it over she realized something important: the only reason she would have a memory spell on her to begin with and the only reason Jou would be directly linked to that spell would be because—

…Because…

Mai blinked, suddenly bemused. What had that thought been? It had been important, she knew, but now for the life of her she could not remember what she had been thinking about; it had been something about a curse and a memory, but she just could not recall what she had been thinking about.

"I finished braiding your hair…are you all right? You've got that blank look on your face again," said Vivian, waving a hand in front of Mai's face to catch her attention.

"It's nothing. I'm fine. I was going to say something to you, but it seems I've forgotten what I was going to say," she replied, shaking her head with a laugh. She rose to her feet and moved to the doorway. "Let's go on down to dinner—no use in making Jean Claude worry if I show up late."

Mai stopped in the doorway and turned back to Vivian. "One request, though."

Vivian paused, tilting her head curiously. "What would that be?"

"…I'm going to be asking Jean Claude some difficult questions over dinner and I need to be able to focus. I'll cue you in as to when I'm going to start asking, and when I do I ask that you remain quiet until I'm finished. After all," she continued with a wink, "we both know you tend to run your mouth."

Vivian raised an eyebrow. "You're just worried I'll interrupt your train of thought."

"That too," she said airily as she walked through the door. The moment her back was turned, though, her smile faded and she sobered. She was not looking forward to the dinner with Jean Claude, as she knew what topics would be broached, but at the same time she had never been one to shy away from the unpleasant tasks.

* * *

><p>"Jethro?"<p>

The bearded man did not look away from the grindstone as he continued to sharpen the swords. "Corda, you should be at the watchtower with Adias," he said, not looking up.

"I know, but I was wondering if you'd seen the captain. I can't find him anywhere and I know he didn't leave the castle."

Jethro was focused on the sword he was sharpening and also was uncertain as to who Corda was talking about, so he refrained from speaking for several long moments. It was not until he finished with the sword that he remembered that Corda only referred to one individual in the castle as 'captain' and it certainly was not that Gurimo fellow. "Raphael was in the stables last I saw him. Have you checked there?"

"I have. Princess Mai's horse was in there and fully saddled, but I didn't find the captain," replied Corda, the barest hint of worry in his voice.

Jethro, who had been reaching for another sword, paused. "What about the guardhouse or the castle walls?"

"I've looked and asked, Jethro. It's as if the captain's vanished into thin air."

The statement made the older man frown. That was odd indeed. Raphael would have never left a ridden horse saddled and out of its stall; though the castle kept several horses ready to ride at a moment's notice (something implemented after the Thief King had last visited) they always switched out the horses on the hour.

"Corda, go back to the stables and unsaddle Princess Mai's horse. Get it taken care of. I'll get Faust to look for Raphael— stay in the stables until I say otherwise, in case someone else needs a horse saddled or stabled. I'll cover your shift on the watch with Adias," he ordered, already heading for the guardhouse. Corda followed after him, half jogging to keep pace with him. "Say nothing about Raphael's disappearance to anyone, but if you're ordered to give an answer you're to say he's ill and isn't to be disturbed."

Corda still looked worried but obeyed, hurrying into the stables and disappearing from view just as Jethro entered the guardhouse.

* * *

><p>"Princess Mai, you look absolutely stunning! That dress most definitely suits you," cried Jean Claude, his eyes lighting up as he rose to his feet. He moved around the oak table and halted just in front of her.<p>

"Thank you," she replied graciously, curtsying. "I've always been fond of this color on me, so I generally pick anything that has it."

"And it fits your figure as well," he said admiringly, taking her hand to kiss it. He then escorted her to a chair next to his and, after pulling it out, sat her down. "You're an absolutely stunning vision of beauty."

Mai laughed, waving one of her hands at him playfully. "Now now, Jean Claude, flattery gets us nowhere," she replied as Vivian sat on the other side of the table. She looked around at the empty room and said, "I'm surprised. I had thought you were one for large banquets."

Jean Claude's expression softened and he rested a hand on top of hers. "I was aware you were still rather shaken up by what happened in the forest. I had wanted to throw a large feast in your honor, I didn't want you to feel too bothered, especially as it took a week to recover. Perhaps in a couple days we can hold a large celebration, but not now."

Mai glanced at Vivian with some surprise. Jean Claude might have been a braggart for the most part, but he certainly understood her; she had been dreading the dinner, fearing that Jean Claude would have summoned all sorts of nobles the way he had on her very first night here. In a way she was grateful, as she did not have to worry about telling her story to others just yet—but at the same time she was also glad there weren't any other nobles, as the questions she had in mind were ones that were probably best not asked in a crowded setting.

Jean Claude looked over Mai's head to the doorway of the banquet hall and clapped his hands. This was clearly a signal for dinner to be served, for several servants entered the room and began passing out silver platters filled with food; once the platters were on the table the servants began to serve the food. The three people at the table allowed the servants to fill their plates before starting in on dinner.

The conversation at the table was light-hearted and occasionally Mai and Jean Claude would playfully banter, Vivian joining in every now and then; Mai told Jean Claude about her day in the market (obviously leaving out anything involving Ryou or the three Enterrans she'd helped). All the while, however, Mai waited for her chance to turn the conversation to her favor—she did have questions to ask, regardless of Jean Claude's cheerful mood, and she needed the answers to them.

Vivian had sensed this, however, and with a subtle glance to Mai she cleared her throat. When Jean Claude looked at her Vivian said, "Her Highness was wondering if there would be a chance to speak to Raphael. He spoke to her today and the conversation they had caught her interest."

Jean Claude blinked and then looked slightly sheepish when he turned his attention to Mai. "Forgive me, my love, but I sent him home to the forest. His grief over Alister's death made him ineffectual here, and out of pity I felt it best to allow him to leave."

Mai felt a bolt of irritation fly through her at the name he'd given her, but at the same time she registered what Jean Claude had said and frowned. "He left on such short notice? He was just here this afternoon."

"He approached me while you were changing and I decided to take a leaf out of your book. He is human, after all, and Alister was practically his brother."

Mai shot Vivian a subtle look and the black-haired woman gave the barest of nods. This was where Mai needed her to remain quiet.

She looked back to Jean Claude and said, "You know, I was just thinking about Alister today and I find his death a little too suspicious."

"Suspicious?" Jean Claude looked surprised, though a very faint undercurrent of nervousness ran through his words. "How so, dearest?"

"Well, isn't it odd that Bakura would come so far up and yet only attack a small group of guards?" she asked. "He normally attacks the city and robs the castles in the chaos. I've never heard of him attacking such a small band."

"Ah, but do we truly know how such wicked minds work? He was likely on his way to do just as you've said when he encountered my men and Alister. It's truly a tragedy that he's died—he might have been too outspoken, but Alister was still a man of the castle and was the best of my archers."

Mai did not bother pointing out the key word of that statement, especially considering that Jean Claude had been the one to unstring the red-haired man.

"Besides, Princess, my intelligence reports that his band is only a meager shadow of what it once was. Perhaps attacking my men was the only thing he was capable of."

_I sincerely doubt that. _Mai hadn't forgotten how Bakura had manipulated the shadows into subduing a full-fledged dragon. Attacking a small number of guards would have been child's play for the Thief King.

"But even so," she continued, "I still find it strange. I was thinking…perhaps it is possible that the group that was with him might have—"

And then, without warning, her memory blanked.

Mai paused, caught off guard by the sudden way that her thoughts had dissipated. She blinked rapidly as she tried to summon the errant thoughts back, but much to her concern they continued to stay out of her reach. This was silly, she thought. She had to ask about A—

…About Al…wait, what was his name again?

Mai's concern increased when she tried to summon any thoughts about the archer and only came up with a figure obscured in shadow; he'd said some things to her certainly, but in her memories his voice only came out as a muffled murmur. She knew he existed, and yet for the life of her she could not remember him.

"Princess?" Jean Claude rested a hand on hers and gently squeezed it, startling her out of her thoughts. "What were you saying?"

Mai let out a shaky laugh and squeezed his hand back. "I merely lost my train of thought," she said, trying not to let him notice how frightened she was. "What I was asking was whether those guards could have—"

Another wall of shadow rose in her mind and she stiffened as the faces of the guards began vanishing behind them. From Gurimo to Corda, all began disappearing faster than she could process and all that was left was more shadowed figures, more muddled voices in her memories.

Something very close to fear began to rear in the back of her mind.

"You know something I just can't recall what I was going to ask," she said, laughing once more to cover her nervousness. "Maybe it's time for a subject change."

"All right, my dear. What else would you like to talk about?" Jean Claude asked brightly.

Mai shot Vivian a slightly desperate look when she realized that she could not remember the other topic she had been planning on asking about. Luckily the other woman seemed to understand Mai's problem, because she said, "Princess, weren't you telling me about the craftsmanship about Jean Claude's sword?"

"Ahh, I see that you have more questions about my sword. What's on your mind, my love?"

Mai repressed the urge to scowl at him—she _really_ despised being called that—but recovered. "Well, I was actually wondering about the forge you went to," she said. "You see, the master of the White Dragons…he…"

For the third time in the space of five minutes she realized she had no idea who she was talking about. She knew him as the master of the dragons, but his name, any who were with him, the dragons themselves…they were gone.

That was not all, she understood with growing horror. No matter how hard she fought to remember, she could now only recall Raphael, Marik, Yami, and Jou. Everyone else was nothing more than a figure shrouded in shadow, gaping holes torn into her memories—

And then Jou's face came into the forefront of her mind and her breath caught.

"Princess?"

_No. No, not Jou…please… _She couldn't afford to forget him. She did not know why he was so important to remember, but even after everything that had happened the idea of forgetting him scared her even more than forgetting everyone else had.

There was one brief moment where Jou grinned at her, his eyes lighting up and his mouth opening to speak, and then he vanished just as everyone else in her memory had.

"Mai?" Vivian's hand gripped her shoulders. "Princess, you're crying."

Mai rose to her feet shakily and said something, she wasn't aware of what her reply was, and then she pulled away from Jean Claude and practically fled from the hall. She did not make it too far before she stumbled into a vacant room and collapsed into a chair, her breath coming in ragged pants.

She couldn't remember any of them. Their faces, their voices, their laughter…they were all just…all of them…they were all gone. She knew they existed, and yet she could not see them in her mind's eye.

The panic set in then as she racked her memory, fighting to remember the people in them, but her terror only grew in every passing second. Mai rose to her feet, pacing the room and struggling not to scream; her breathing shifted into frightened sobs and she stopped at the window. Mai planted her hands on the windowsill and stared at the floor with wide, unseeing eyes.

What had just happened? How could she have…she _knew_ they were there, but why couldn't she see them? What were their names, who were they, how did she know them?

Something clinked gently at her side and she gave a violent start, frightened eyes looking down at the purple pouch at her side. Her fingers fumbled at the drawstrings and she lifted something wrapped in paper out from it, but her hands were shaking so badly at this point that the object fell onto the floor with a dull _thump_. She dropped to her knees and unwrapped the paper surrounding the item, staring blankly at the gemstone she was holding before her attention went to the parchment.

_Yami._

She gripped the paper tightly and her eyes read frantically over the note, desperate for some clue that would help her, and while she didn't know the other two people in the note her eyes were drawn to one line of the message:

_Hold the gem and say _Priori Memoriam_. It will show you what you have forgotten._

Mai gripped the gem in her hand and without hesitating she called out in a frightened, tear-filled voice, "_Priori Memoriam!"_

Blinding white light filled her vision and she gasped, nearly dropping the gem before she recovered. Even as she re-tightened her grip on the gem, however, shadows leapt forth and darkened the room; the darkness pooled at her feet and swept over her in a cold, menacing wave. Mai yelped and shielded herself, but she was forced to her knees and something closed over her.

When Mai opened her eyes it was to find herself trapped inside a glass prism. She pounded on it to try and free herself, but the glass was too thick and Mai was soon forced to give up. Besides, she reflected with a grimace, she was safer in here than she was in the pitch-black room; she could see the shadows rippling all around her and a dark purple mist was creeping along the floor. It was not natural, she knew, and despite her predicament she was relieved to be in this prison and not out there.

Warbled and chillingly dark laughter reached her and she paused, the hairs on the back of her neck rising at the chilling sound. Her eyes swept through the area but found nothing. Even so, the laughter continued and her grip on the gem tightened.

"Hello?" she called. In spite of her fear she straightened up and glowered at a point beyond the glass. "Hey! Let me out of here!"

More sinister laughter met her ears in reply. "Do you really think that I will do as you ask just because you ask me to? A crown you may wear, but you have no power here." The voice, distorted by an unseen force, was coldly amused at her new predicament.

Her skin crawled ."Who's there?"

A part of the shadowy wall rippled and Mai's focus went to that spot, her gaze following the ripples as they began to circle her.

"Who am I?" asked the voice. "I might be offended if it was not for the fact I know why you don't remember me. After all, I'm the one directly responsible for your memory loss."

"…You…?"

Mai tried to place the warbled voice, but nothing came to mind.

"Don't strain yourself." The moving shadows sunk back into the darkness and Mai squinted in the gloom, trying to find them once again. "You won't succeed in remembering."

"I asked a question," she retorted. "Who are you?"

More laughter and instead of being frightened she grew angrier. "I asked you a question!" she repeated angrily. "I'm not playing games, so if all you're going to do is toy with me then I'm leaving!"

"Leaving? And how do you plan on doing that? You don't even know where you are, do you?"

Mai faltered, some of her bravado leaving her. She managed to recover and said, "That won't stop me."

There was a sinister chuckle and then the shadows slithered out from the darkness. As she watched, they began to form into what appeared to be a human. The voice was distinctly male when it next spoke. "A question was asked, so an answer must be given. You asked for my name? Very well."

She could see feet forming as the shadows began to solidify.

"I am the whispered vows of vengeance in the dark. I am the bitter tears of despair wept into the pillows."

In addition to the newly formed legs there were now hands and arms, the beginnings of a human torso forming.

"I am the cruel and unusual, the one who brings pain. I am the screams of agony that echo in the halls. I am the unbridled rage and the hopeless despair."

The man was now nearly formed, his hair flaring out into spikes surrounding his head. Color began spreading from his extremities and traveled inward.

"I am the blood that was spilled. I am the Shadows, the darkness that haunts your steps, the reason there are lights at night."

The man was now completely formed, standing out and yet blending into the shadows around them. He was an Enterran, his pale blond hair the most prominent feature on him; his clothes melded into the darkness, but there was no hiding the golden rod he was casually twirling. His eyes went to her and she took in a sharp, shaky breath when cold lavender eyes met her own.

"Marik," she breathed, shocked. "It can't be…"

The other man tutted, bowing to her with a mocking grin. "I am Marik and yet not. You could say I'm the stronger, more powerful Marik, a Marik who's unafraid to get his hands dirty," he said, and the sound of his voice caused the goose bumps to rise. "You may call me Ishtar."

Mai recoiled at the grin. "What…what are you?" she asked.

"I already introduced myself," he said. "I don't do anything more than once."

"Humor me," she retorted.

He chuckled darkly. "Very well," he said, and Mai was disturbed to note the pointed eye teeth. "I was not joking when I said I am Marik. You could say that I am his shadow, something that a bitter, broken boy created when his life was irrevocably shattered by a ceremony he never asked for. Yet at the same time I am the personification of the darkness of that clan—that is why I call myself Ishtar."

The hairs on her neck and arms had risen again and a chill went down her spine at his voice.

"My life had been long in the making. The misery and anger that rose from the Ishtar clan was a foul stench that all the shadows could smell. The darkness was drawn to that little clan over the years…oh the suffering! The fury of the patriarchs at their fate! The despair of the clan! It was _glorious_…and little Marik's pain and fury was the most wonderful of all, because he unknowingly brought me into existence the day he received the initiation ceremony.

"I stayed in the back of his mind, constantly re-opening the emotional wounds and incubating his suffering, his unbridled rage, the desire to wreak vengeance. I wasn't strong enough to break free from him and as long as Rishid was around I could not truly do anything. That servant was useless everywhere else, but as long as he was present, as long as little Marik could see those wretched scars on his face, I had no power.

"But then, that most wondrous of days happened," he continued, his face twisting into a feral grin. "Little Marik decided to fly and came too close to the sun, and Rishid was nearly killed. Oh the flurry of emotions! He was so scared and angry, so frightened for his family and furious with the Nameless King—and the moment his scared hands gripped the Millennium Rod I saw my chance."

He bowed. "Thus I was created. I'm quite sure little Marik has no idea I even exist, as in that moment I used his body. I remember the look on his father's face when I started stabbing him," he said, sounding wistful. "If only I could go back to that time…I still haven't forgotten the feeling of his blood on my hands, you know."

"I get it now. You were the one who killed his father," Mai said, her voice brimming in disgust.

"Oh, are you _actually_ sympathetic for that man? Don't be. Marik despised his father almost as much as he despised the Nameless King," Ishtar replied lazily. "His death is no major loss."

Ishtar heaved an oddly remorseful sigh. "If it hadn't been for that insufferable servant regaining consciousness I would have simply taken Marik's body and used it as my own—as it was, I had no choice but to take the Rod and flee."

Realization slammed into her and she sat up. "That's why he has a gap in his memory," she said. "That blank space in his memory was when you were created! He doesn't remember doing it because he wasn't the one who…"

From the back of her mind came someone's frightened voice begged her to run, and though the figure was hidden in a wreath of shadow she had not yet forgotten the voice. "Then it was you…that night in the forest clearing, you were behind the attack on me," she said slowly.

"Correct, my dear. I made him attack you. You don't remember much about him at the moment, but the one who attacked you was rather important to you," he said, beginning to come closer to her. His gaze was on Mai, trying to gauge a reaction. "I _forced_ him into attacking you. He fought back against me, of course, but I beat him out long enough to make him do my bidding. He was such a good little pawn—and you did the rest. You pushed him away and broke his little heart.

"Now, onto more important things," he replied, and with an almost serpentine movement he appeared at the right side of her glass prison, causing her to scoot away. "We have such important matters to discuss."

He grinned and began circling her. Mai's gaze never left him and stayed on him even when he started talking. "So?" she said. "Get on with it."

"I've never met someone so impatient to die," he remarked casually, causing her to stiffen. "But even so, you're right—I've no patience for the details, only for the results. Three months ago I approached you…though, come to think of it, sneaking into your room in the dead of night and pulling you out of bed isn't exactly polite. I challenged you to play a little game with me, if you recall."

Mai frowned, and for the briefest of seconds the memory of lavender eyes boring into hers and chilling laughter returned. "I don't entirely remember that."

Ishtar's grin stretched. "Let me show you, then."

He waved the golden rod and the memory came back with enough force to knock Mai off balance, her head violently snapping backwards—

* * *

><p><em>Mai found herself in a moonlit room, and she realized it was her own bedroom back in her castle at Thystia: a large bed with purple sheets, a desk with a few odds and ends on it, her make-up table with the mirror, and other things that belonged to her were spread across the room.<em>

_This was not what she immediately saw, however. Her eyes were on the man who was pinning her to the wall beside her bed, one hand gripping both her wrists above her head and the other shoving the golden rod in her face. She opened her mouth to call for help when he shushed her, holding up a hand to catch her attention._

_"No one can hear you, Highness. Don't call your lady-in-waiting—she won't answer either. Not until I'm finished, anyways," he said. "She's taking a nap at the moment."_

_She ignored him and still called for help, struggled against the iron grip that held, but when this failed to yield any results she spat out, "What do you want?"_

_The man grinned down at her. "A game."_

_"…A what?"_

_"A harmless Shadow game, dear princess. After all, outright killing you is no fun and a simple memory charm takes all the enjoyment out of it. No, no, I like giving my victims a fighting chance. It doesn't help them, of course, but it makes it all the more entertaining for me to watch."_

_He released her and Mai felt something cold and icy hold her arms in place above her head. She looked above her and made out something dark pinning her arms together. What magic was this?_

_"And what if I don't want to play this game?" she snapped irritably, still struggling. "You'd have better luck getting me to kiss a frog."_

_Ishtar raised an eyebrow. "Then I kill you."_

_"_…You have my attention."__

_"The terms are simple," he said, holding up a spike-studded wheel. Mai's attention went back to him and her eyes were drawn to the wheel. On it Mai could barely make out pictures of a knight, a princess, a court jester, and a black-scaled dragon. "I spin this wheel and you forget the person associated with the picture on it—and using anything aside from your own memory will result in a penalty. You won't just forget that person. Oh no, that would be barely any fun."_

_Mai glowered. "And who all is involved?"_

_Ishtar shrugged and then waved the rod. A group of faces appeared above her and she stared with surprise; in addition to Mai herself there was one of Jou, Jean Claude, and Ishtar himself. She smirked and asked, "Let me guess: you're the jester."_

_Ishtar's smirk in reply was far more frightening than she liked, but he continued. "__You'll forget anyone and anything associated with the person. Families, friends, kingdoms of one of those four people…all gone. And it won't be just you. This will leech into everyone around you as well. A good example is that your lady in waiting won't remember Jean Claude at all if he is the one who shows up on the wheel. It will be as if that person never existed in any of your memories."_

_Mai managed to keep her smirk in spite of the thrill of fear that went up her spine. "So what, you're thinking that I'll pick my own picture and I forget myself?" she asked. "You don't scare me any."_

_Ishtar did not look concerned. "Once the person has been picked, you have until I get bored of the game to remember them."_

_Mai stared. "What? That's not a time limit!" she snapped indignantly. "I need something concrete, pal, and not just 'until I get bored'. For all I know you could get bored of the game tomorrow!"_

_"…Really now." Ishtar looked interested. "And I suppose you have a time limit of your own you'd like to suggest?"_

_Mai hesitated. "Three months," she decided. That should be plenty of time to figure everything out._

_Ishtar's grin stretched. "Very well. Three months it is," he announced, and then he dropped the wheel. _

_Mai watched as the studded wheel rolled across the floor, leaving small imprints in the floor wherever it rolled; it bounced off the wall and fell onto its side, and Ishtar strode across the room to retrieve it. He lifted it into the air with a bored expression and spun it on one of his fingers, ignoring the way the spike was digging into his fingertip._

_"It landed on the dragon," he said, and then above him more of the black inky substance formed into the red-eyed dragon that had been illustrated on the wheel. "The person tied to it is…"_

_Mai felt something close to horror slam into her when the shadows formed into a blond-haired teenager with bright brown eyes, a mischievous and confident grin lighting his features. "No…no, not him…please…!"_

_"Too late," replied Ishtar lazily, and then the boy's face vanished from view. _

_Mai felt as if a large hole had been torn into her memories and a wall of pain slammed into her head, causing her to slump back against the wall. The makeshift manacles dissipated and she collapsed to the floor, cradling her throbbing head._

_A hand gripped her chin roughly and she was forced to look directly into the Enterran's cold eyes. "You have three months to remember what you have just forgotten. You must remember him on your own, Princess, and if you use anything to help you remember then you'll have to play a penalty game. I hope you're up for this challenge—personally, I'm not holding my breath," he said, and then he struck her and the world darkened._

* * *

><p>Mai recoiled with a gasp, bumping into the back of her prison. Now she remembered…she remembered that evening, when he had first shown up and had taken her memories. She'd agreed to play a Shadow Game, she had forgotten someone that she knew was important, and…and then…<p>

"I see you remember now," said Ishtar pleasantly, circling her once again. "You know, you were so close to finally recalling that boy. You were beginning to piece it together in the woods when you were with him—but if you'd remembered there'd be no fun in it for me, so I created the rift between you."

He tapped the glass with the Millennium Rod to catch her attention and then bent down so he was eye level with her. "I do admit I finally got bored and accelerated the process, so that you started to forget everyone. I had to, you know—I knew you'd cheat once that happened and I was right. You used the memory gem, and so here we are."

"I hardly call it fair, though," she retorted, the barest edge of fear in her voice. "You cheated first."

Ishtar's eyebrows rose. "You think so?"

Mai faltered at the expression on the man's face but still managed to appear nonplussed. "Well, yeah. I mean, you knew I was playing the game and could manipulate it to your advantage. You sped up the memory loss and caused me to panic, so I used the gem."

"A frail excuse, Highness, and yet you're right. This certainly isn't a satisfying end," he said, rocking back on his heels. "There's not nearly enough suffering involved and you're not entirely frightened by me. So I'll give you a fighting chance to avoid the penalty for cheating."

He rose to his feet and tapped the glass. "I'll give you a time limit, Highness. Remember the name of just one person and I will set you free, no questions asked. If you can't…then you're mine. Don't bother listing Marik, that idiot captain or Yami," he added when Mai opened her mouth. "It has to be someone you've forgotten."

Mai took a calming breath. All right…she had one chance to help herself and get out of this mess. She strongly suspected that Ishtar would not offer another or change the conditions, so this was as good as she was going to get it. "All right, I can accept that. One problem, though—how will you be timing me?"

Ishtar's smile was truly frightening now, his eyes glinting with savage amusement. "Like this," he said, and then he rapped on the glass with his knuckles.

Something fell into Mai's eyes and she let out a startled scream, tasting the gritty grains of sand, and she scooted into the corner of the prison; it wasn't enough to stop whatever was falling from going down the back of her dress, but it was enough to allow her to compose herself. What was that? She rubbed her eyes vigorously to clear her vision.

She looked up and then blanched when she saw the steady stream of sand falling from above her. An hourglass…she was trapped inside an hourglass and if she didn't hurry she'd be buried alive. Oh God help her, what was she going to—

No. Panicking would not get her anywhere. _Calm down and think, Mai, you've got time. Just one person, you've just got to remember one person…_

But it was no use. The sand was already past her knees and beginning to engulf her waist, and it seemed that as the sand fell her memories fell into further disrepair. She could recall their faces and their voices, but neither matched up and she could not for the life of her recall their names. Soon the sand was past her waist…past her stomach…up to her chest…

In spite of her resolve not to cry tears began welling in her eyes.

"Ohh, you're in such complete and utter despair," said Ishtar delightedly, clapping his hands. "I can feel it from here. You're running out of time. I'd say you've only got minutes left now."

Mai tried to ignore him, still summoning faces she couldn't identify, but the sand continued to rise. It was now up to her shoulders and would soon swallow her. No one would even know she was here, would they?

The sand was up to her neck.

From somewhere in her memory came a dragon's roar and she was no longer in the hourglass but in a dimly lit cave. She closed her eyes and with the last vestiges of her strength she clung to the memory.

_She was looking up at a large dragon whose scales were as dark as night and who was clumsily carving his name into the stone floor…the dragon was now carrying in a wagon…it was battling a White Dragon in a river, fighting for her…_

_The image shifted and now there was a draconic teenager with unkempt blonde hair and ruby-colored eyes, dancing with her in that same cave…shielding her from a raging White Dragon…his face was filled with grief when he fled her room in the night…he was flailing helplessly on the wooden floor…he was grinning at her and reaching for her…_

_"Mai…"_

Just as the sand closed over her she took in one last breath and managed a half whispered, half sobbed, "Jou."

The world went dark as the last grains of sand covered her. It was oddly warm in here, and even though she was now no longer able to breathe she was alarmingly calm. At least…at least she had remembered Jou. That was the important thing…she was happy with this outcome…

The sound of shattering glass reached her and Mai's eyes snapped open.

The sand poured out in waves and Mai hit the ground, taking in lungfuls of startled but grateful air. As she looked up she realized that the atmosphere around her was lightening, pushing the shadows back. The light grew brighter and brighter and completely expelled the darkness, and just before the memories slammed into her mind she heard Ishtar's furious snarls, though the sound vanished with the shadows.

With a rushing noise in her ears the faces of the thieves, of Yugi and Téa, Vivian and Jean Claude, _everyone_ she had forgotten returned—she was in her memories now, she realized, because the memory gem was working once more and she had somehow beaten Ishtar's game—

But with the new faces came Jou's, and with him came a whole wave of memories that she had thought never to find again—

* * *

><p><em>She was sitting in the stands watching the blond-haired boy mount his horse, readying to joust his final opponent. She'd been worried about this jousting tournament and thought it a waste of time, as it had been her father's idea to hold this stupid thing to decide who would be allowed to court her. He wasn't afraid, though, and he had especially not been worried about this Lord Jean Claude they'd all been hearing about either, even though the man had yet to be defeated…<em>

_…She was screaming in horror when _he_ collapsed over the top of his horse, the tip of the jousting spear firmly embedded in his shoulder, but he'd held on and stayed on the horse; Raphael and Alister were steadying the frightened animal and helping him down, while a brown-haired young man—_Tristan—_was hurrying to them. His opponent had been unsaddled, however, his helmet coming off, and there was a collective gasp when they all realized that this man on the ground was certainly not Jean Claude—he'd made someone else joust in his stead. She hadn't cared, though, her eyes only on the boy that was slumping out of the saddle, and she sprang from her seat to get to his side…_

_…Her father was furious, his face dark red in anger as he looked down at Jean Claude. "You not only used an illegal jousting spear, you did not even have the courage to joust in this tournament yourself!" he snarled. He pointed savagely at the teenager, who was wavering on his feet and flanked on either side by Raphael and Alister. "He has more courage than you—even if you were actually jousting he beat you fairly. You'll _never_ be allowed to get away with this stunt again—you'll be lucky to even be allowed to come to my castle! No one will ever allow you into their courts again! I'll see to it!"…but even as the man in front of her father stuttered and tried to plead, she could see _him_ grinning at her wearily and he offered her a thumbs up..._

_But now Mai was being taken further back into her memory, back into a field of tall grass and beautiful smelling flowers that was just outside the castle, and she was braiding the long auburn hair of the girl in front of her—_Shizuka_, she remembered now, this was Shizuka and she was _his_ younger sister. The girl was pale and sitting rather still, as this was the first time in months she'd been allowed out of the castle, and though she'd been tired she'd still managed to come out to see Mai. There was a shout, though, and Shizuka's head snapped up; Mai had picked some buttercups to weave into the braid, but the girl forgot about them and managed to get to her feet, even though she had been so weakened by the illness that was ravaging her body. The girl half-ran, half stumbled toward her older brother and barreled into him with a delighted cry. He steadied the girl with a soft smile, gently asking his sister to take it easy_…Mai's heart ached when Shizuka let loose with a round of coughing that left her breathless and he scooped the girl into his arms, coming over to join Mai with a tired smile just for her to see_…___

_…and now it was all the little things, the numerous shopping trips into the bazaars of Thystia, the good-natured teasing and arguments, the quiet moments under the oak tree in the field, the walks where they talked over different ranging topics_…_there were even dancing lessons, she noted wryly, and the familiar feel of squashed toes briefly permeated through the memories_…_then there were the times where he came to her, nursing injuries that she knew were not necessarily from sparring with the guards_…he was chatting with her gaily and offering her a plate of curry, which she declined after watching his eyes water on the first bite_…_above all else, however, were _all the times his hand had held hers, his fingers interlaced with her own…_

_…and then they were both children and they were back in the maze, where she had seen him for the first time and she was still wiping tears from her eyes._

_"It's okay," he said reassuringly. "You can always cut through the walls. That's what I do when I get lost in these things."_

_Mai stared, sniffling. "But that's cheating."_

_He looked back at her in surprise before he laughed. "Well, you could say it is. But I always find the direct approach to be the best one if you end up lost," he said, holding a hand out to her. "C'mon. I'll help you get back."_

_She nodded mutely, taking his hand and letting him pull her to her feet. _

_"See? Not so hard, right?" he asked brightly. He began leading her forward, and for a while Mai could only see the back of head; his dark green shirt blended into the maze around them, and so Mai focused on his hair. "Don't worry. We'll be out of here in a bit."_

_"…What's your name?"_

_He paused before grinning widely at her over his shoulder. "Well it's…nah, on second thought I won't tell you. It's embarrassin'. My dad didn't even spell it right," he admitted with a laugh. _

_"No," she insisted, "you have to tell me! I'm not calling you no-name."_

_He stopped, his grin faltering. "You won't laugh, will you?"_

_Mai scoffed. "Trust me. Your name is probably not nearly as stupid as my real one is—and no, I won't tell you. You can call me Mai."_

_"Well, _Mai_, that's not fair, but all right." He turned and straightened, puffing his chest out importantly and causing her to giggle. "My name is Prince Jousef and I come from the kingdom of Hermos. J-o-u-s-e-f. See? Stupid."_

_He waited to see if she would laugh, and when she didn't his smile returned and he leaned forward conspiratorially. "Honestly, though, I rather violently hate my name. Don't tell my dad, he's the guy who saddled me with it," he whispered, and Mai giggled again. "So instead of Jousef…"_

_And now the boy was blurring, getting taller and older all at once. His skin darkened and his hands and feet turned into scaled talons, a tail coming from behind him and horns beginning to peek out from behind his ears. His warm brown eyes shifted into cat-like ruby ones, scales rippling underneath his eyes, and his smile now held fangs._

_"…Just call me Jou."_

* * *

><p>Mai gasped and stumbled backward, but she held her balance and remained on her feet. She was now entirely surrounded by white light, with nothing in sight. Her knees trembled and she sank to the floor.<p>

She was supposed to have come here to visit Jou's kingdom, her first visit here, but three months ago Jou had sent a letter asking for her to delay her visit; Jou's father had died suddenly and Jou was being given the only chance he would get to search for a cure for Shizuka's illness. The sickness had been getting worse and Jou only had until the end of the summer to look. She'd not told her parents about the change in travel plans.

Jean Claude was not the real prince. He was a lord in Thystia who had sought her hand and had tried for her hand in the jousting tournament, but nothing more. He'd found a way to curse Jou and had gotten him out of the way, then once that was done had come here to the castle and had taken over the kingdom, trapping Shizuka and getting her out of sight. Tristan had never staged a coup-d'état, it was the other way around. Jean Claude had known in advance that Jou would be gone.

Fury blazed through the disbelief. She had been used as a pawn in this game and if it was one thing she despised it was being used. Jean Claude was going to _pay_ for what he'd done—if he had harmed one hair on Shizuka's head he'd especially pay.

A familiar and amused voice broke into her thoughts with a small laugh. "Well, it seems you managed to beat the game."

Mai did not look up, instead letting out a rueful laugh. "You knew all along that I was playing a Shadow game. Am I wrong…Yami?"

When she looked up it was to find the spirit hovering in front of her. The edges of his body were wispier than she remembered and he was almost impossible to make out in the light, but even so she did not miss the way his face lit up and he chuckled. "I did. Any who hold Shadow items can see Shadow games in progress, and the moment I saw you I knew. Yugi knew as well, but he kept silent—we both understood that revealing what was going on would invoke the penalty game."

"And if you knew," Mai said with a weak laugh, "then so did Bakura."

Yami dipped his head in confirmation. "He did. That was the real reason he took you, as he'd hoped to lure out the owner of the Shadow item. His ultimate goal is to assemble the items, whether by stealing them himself or by locating their wielders, but a ransom would have been an added bonus. The attack on Yugi in the clearing showed him that Ryou could be reached and harmed, however, and that is why he's retreated to his lair."

"So you knew who Jou was…wait, I remembered his name! That should be enough to break his spell!" she said eagerly, but Yami shook his head and she faltered.

"While your Shadow game had a connection to Jou and remembering his full name was the key to escaping the game, it was not the source of his curse. Someone must say his full name in his presence, Princess. Magic is a finicky thing and if not dealt with properly the results can be dire," he replied evenly.

"So what's the problem? You can tell him when you see him in person—no, wait, let me guess. You can't, can you?" she asked when she saw Yami's head shake once again.

"I am not really here. In fact, what you are seeing is only the representation of the spell I cast," he explained. "Once the gem goes inactive the spell will break. It will alert me that you've discovered the truth and come out on top of the Shadow game, however."

"Yeah, about that. Next time, do me a favor and just tell me," she said with a brief hint of irritation. "At least then I have the chance to brace myself. He nearly killed me, you know."

Yami's eyebrows arched and a small smile quirked the corner of his lips. "I did caution you, Princess. 'Using the gem will both enlighten and endanger you.' That was not an idle statement, you know."

Yami sobered. He was vanishing now, as was the light surrounding them, and here and there Mai could see the actual room through the other man and through the white blanket. "You are not out of danger yet, Princess," he remarked.

"I'm pretty sure of that," she replied with a shrug. "Ishtar's more than likely telling Jean Claude what's just happened and I'm pretty sure I'll be hearing about it. Don't worry over me, Yami," she continued with a wink. "I'm tougher than I look, and as an added bonus I know now what I'm doing."

Yami smirked, both he and the white light completely vanishing from view. His voice still reached her, sounding as if he was immediately beside her, and Mai jumped as it asked a single question:

"Then what are you waiting for?"


	26. The Captain's Memories

_WHOO BOY LONG CHAPTER. I was seriously not planning on this chapter being so long, but it is in spite of all my efforts. Ah well, at least you have another one to read :D_

_I have a character in this chapter who _has_ shown up in this fic before, and while I'll make sure to mention when she was first mentioned I will say she's back in chapter eleven, towards the end. That will make sense in a minute._

* * *

><p>Mai did not even wait for the light to fade from the now inactive memory gem, instead dropping it back into the pouch Yami had given her; the only light in the room left now was moonlight filtering in from the nearest window. Night had fallen while she had been in here.<p>

She took out the glass vial of healing water and, after scanning the room, strode to the bookshelf; once she shifted a few of the books aside she set the vial in the space created and then carefully scooted the books back in front to hide it. With any luck Jean Claude would not look there—it was not safe to leave it on her person and she could not afford to have the vial broken. With any luck she would be able to come back for it.

Once the vial was hidden she crossed the room to the nearest desk, where there was parchment and a quill. She wasted no time and as fast as she could she wrote a message. Her handwriting was admittedly messier than normal, but she felt that the recipient of this particular message would understand.

The moment she finished Mai left the room, making absolutely certain no guards were in the halls before she went. She had no doubt that Ishtar was on his way to Jean Claude at this very moment and she still had a few things left to do before she was intercepted.

Ishtar could not have possibly conjured up more than one Shadow game, no matter how powerful he was. He would not have wasted effort on minor pawns and yet Jean Claude would not have allowed the Enterran to kill anyone who would be noticed. He had to have conjured up something different when it came to those like Vivian and her cousin Duke, and if Mai was right then it was vitally important to—

"Princess!"

Mai jumped at the sound of Vivian's worried voice and a relieved smile lit her face. "You're just the woman I was looking for."

Vivian looked relieved when her brown-eyed gaze landed on Mai. "Are you all right? You left the table so suddenly and by the time I got to the hall you'd disappeared—what's wrong?" she asked, frowning once she caught sight of Mai's face.

Mai grabbed Vivian's hand and beginning to drag her down the hall. "I'll explain as we go. What do you remember of Prince Jousef?"

Vivian had initially started to protest being dragged down the hall, but at Mai's question her troubled frown deepened. "Jousef...now that you mention it I think I know that name," she began, and then she abruptly stopped walking. Her eyes widened and she staggered, her knees starting to buckle. Something gold briefly appeared over her head before disintegrating.

Mai could guess what was happening and she managed to keep the other woman upright. "Easy, Viv, easy. I can't afford to have you faint right now," she replied firmly. "I thought so…Jou's real name is the key to breaking the memory spell. Do you remember him now?"

The other woman regained her balance and started massaging her temples. "…I do…wait, he's the…but Jean Claude is here, so that must mean…_oh that devil!_" Vivian snarled, her eyes flashing. "I remember now! That creep with the golden scepter ambushed me while I was sleeping and cast a spell," she continued, shuddering. "I can't believe I forgot that freak. The way he was speaking, I'm surprised he let me live."

"Killing you probably wasn't a part of Jean Claude's plan," Mai replied grimly. "You can bet that the creep—as you so fondly called him—is already informing Jean Claude that I know what's going on. Where is he, by the way?"

"I managed to convince him to stay in the dining hall," Vivian replied, catching up to her side and keeping pace with her. "You looked upset and I thought you needed space, so I told him I'd see what was the matter and report back."

"Good. We're going to the stables as quickly as possible," she replied. She paused as they came up to the main hall and began scouring the room, making certain there was nobody in the hall. She could not be certain if Ishtar had already alerted the guards.

Vivian was also looking around the room and seconds later she murmured, "No one's here."

The two women immediately crossed the spacious hall, nearly running to the large oak doors and taking care not to trip or make any other sounds. They slipped outside, the cool night breeze hitting them the moment they set foot out of the castle.

Vivian and Mai kept to the shadows of the castle, ducking into every corner they could find whenever a patrol passed them; normally it took only a few moments to reach the stables, but now that they were trying to avoid detection it was taking more precious time. Mai noticed that the front gates had yet to be closed, and she smiled to herself—one less thing she had to worry about.

At last they reached the stables and Mai immediately started looking around for any sign of trouble. When nothing but the sound of horses shifting in their stalls reached her ears she cleared her throat. "Raphael?" she called softly, hoping that he was still in the stables.

A nearby pile of freshly cut hay rustled and then a figure came into view, but it was certainly not Raphael and Mai took a step back. "Who's there?" she asked, an edge to her voice. From behind her came the sound of Vivian unsheathing one of her daggers.

The other figure came into a patch of moonlight, holding up his hands. "Princess?"

Mai recognized the guard and motioned for Vivian to lower her weapon. It had taken a few seconds, but she managed to recall this young guard's name. "Corda, what on earth are you doing here this time of night? Where's Raphael?"

"I haven't seen him," he said anxiously, looking around. "That's why I'm here, in fact, as he can't afford to get in more trouble if he's not at his post."

It was then that she remembered what Jean Claude had told her at dinner and her face darkened. "I have a feeling we won't be seeing him again. Corda, honey, listen to me," she said sharply over the top of his frightened question. "Right now I need your help. I need a horse, preferably the fastest you can give me, and I need it saddled and brought here."

The black-haired man frowned, a troubled and worried light in his green eyes, but he nodded at last and disappeared into the darkness for a brief moment; she could hear the horses whickering in the back of the building and she exchanged glances with Vivian.

At length the _clip-clop _of hooves broke through the darkness and Corda reappeared, leading a dark grey horse that stomped and shifted uneasily. Corda cleared his throat and said, "He's not the fastest in the stable, since that horse belongs to Prince Jean Claude, but Zigurat was the horse that Alister rode and it's among the fastest."

Mai nodded once to Vivian and said sadly, "Thank you, Corda. One more thing—turn around for me. I think I saw something on your back and it's bothering me."

When Corda turned Vivian drew one of her sheathed daggers and hit the boy over the head with the hilt. Corda soundlessly collapsed into a heap, already unconscious before he hit the ground.

"Don't get me wrong, Corda, you're a good kid," said Mai gently. "But I already got one guard killed and there won't be another one if I can help it."

She straightened up and took the reins of the horse, leading it out into the courtyard; Zigurat snorted and tugged against her the entire way, and Mai gained an idea of why this had been Alister's horse when he had been alive.

"Hurry up and mount, Viv," she said, holding the horse steady. "He's just as stubborn as his old rider."

"I noticed," Vivian replied wryly, and in a smooth motion she mounted the horse and held her hand out to Mai. "Get on."

"Hold on a second," Mai said, digging into the violet pouch. She pulled out the navigation stone and held it up to her mouth. "Duke's castle, through the forest and on the road less traveled."

The stone warmed in her hand, signaling that it had worked, and Mai hooked it onto the bridle of the horse. "He'll take you all the way there, Vivian, so don't try to steer him any other way."

"I won't…but wait, why are you talking like that? You're coming," the other woman retorted. When she caught sight of the expression on Mai's face her own features darkened. "I am _not_ leaving you here!" she hissed.

"Vivian, you have to go. Get to Duke and tell him what's going on. If he doesn't believe you use Jou's real name. I've got a pretty good hunch it'll get him to cooperate, but make sure he's the only one who responds," she said calmly. "I have to stay here."

"No you don't!" Vivian retorted. "You are not staying here alone and unprotected, not while I draw breath!"

"Shizuka is somewhere in this castle, Vivian, and I will not abandon her," Mai continued firmly. "Besides, if I leave and spread the word it means that the rest of the kingdoms find out what's happening in Hermos. Enemies of this kingdom will strike and then Jou loses both his kingdom and his younger sister. If you go to Duke it gives me more time to get things under control here."

Vivian eyed her, looking mutinous, but when Mai did not back down she sighed. "I know that look. You aren't going to leave with me no matter what I do, are you?"

"Nope," she replied cheerfully. "Sorry, Vivian. Don't worry about me, honey—I can take care of myself."

"At least take one of my daggers," Vivian began, but Mai shook her head.

"If Jean Claude uses that knife against me somehow…well, I don't need to die instantly and neither does anyone else. Go, Vivian, before the guards come."

Vivian took one last look at her before she wheeled the horse around and gently dug her heels into the sides of the stallion. The horse started at a slow walk and Mai watched Vivian cross the bridge, not wanting to catch the attention of any guards; not too long after they made it across the bridge Mai heard galloping hoofbeats fading rapidly into the night and she turned to leave the stables. She still had one more task to do and it involved finding a messenger pigeon.

She only took a few steps before she heard footsteps marching toward her and she paused, ducking out of sight in a corner of the building. Mai cursed inwardly when she saw the guards beginning to scour the courtyard—they were looking for her.

Mai looked down at the parchment still clenched in her hand and repressed a groan. Jean Claude had shown her the spot on the upper wall where the messenger birds were stored and it required crossing the yard and going up the stairs. She'd never make it that far without being seen.

The rustle of feathers from overhead caught her attention before something flew from the rafters above her. Mai jumped and scooted further into her corner, but she relaxed when the creature landed in a patch of moonlight and sighed in relief. "Eatos."

The eagle tilted her head, eyeing Mai curiously. She flew back up onto a low-rising rail, her golden eyes never leaving Mai and studying her intently.

Well, this was better than she hoped. Even though Raphael's eagle likely carried the sentiment of her master Mai could perhaps try to use her to get the message to its proper owner. "Er…here, Eatos. Come here, sweet birdie," she tried, using a coaxing voice.

If it was not for the fact Mai knew birds could not show emotion she'd be inclined to say that Eatos was shooting her a very dirty look. As it was, the eagle ruffled her feathers and looked ready to fly away.

She scowled. "Stupid bird."

Eatos opened her wings with an indignant screech and Mai held up her hands, desperate to quiet the sound. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry," she whispered hastily. "Just be quiet. I need your help."

Eatos eyed her but did not move, and after a furtive glance outside Mai left the corner and approached the eagle cautiously. "Look, I need you to deliver a message," she said, holding out the parchment. "I need you to get this to Yami as fast as you can fly."

The bird studied her and Mai held her breath, repressing the bizarre urge to laugh. _I'm banking all my chances on an eagle who doesn't like me and may not even understand what I'm saying. If it wasn't for the fact I've had to do weirder things lately…_

Much to her surprise, Eatos held out her leg silently. Mai gratefully tied the parchment to the eagle's leg; she made sure that she did not tie it too tight, but at the same time she had to be certain the parchment would not get dislodged while Eatos was in flight.

Mai had no sooner tied the knot when Eatos opened her wings and took flight. Startled, Mai staggered backwards to avoid the flapping wings and then watched the bird disappear out the nearest window.

She heard something from behind her and she turned, her eyes going to the group of guards standing in the doorway. "Well hello, boys," Mai said pleasantly, planting a hand on her hip. "How's it going?"

Gurimo stepped forward and bowed. "You had our Majesty worried. He was concerned when he could not find you in the castle, so he sent us," he replied, and though he smiled it did not reach his eyes.

"Really now?" she asked, her eyebrows arching. Even so, Mai caught sight of the look on the guard's faces and she repressed a grimace. _Jean Claude knows._

"Yes. He requests you accompany us back to the dining hall—he is terribly worried."

"Oh I bet he is," she muttered. She looked up at them all and said, "So if I decide not to go with you?"

Gurimo smirked. "I'm afraid he wasn't asking, Princess."

Mai folded her arms. "Rephrase: I'm not going," she said firmly.

One man strode forward and grabbed her arm, starting to drag her behind him. "Forget it, captain, she isn't going to go quietly," he said, and Mai scowled when she recognized the voice.

"Keith, either you let go or I'm going to kick you—and you won't like where I choose to put my foot," she snarled, yanking her arm free.

Keith turned around to face her, smirking. "Like you can do anything against a big guy like me?" he asked her tauntingly.

"You really think I'm afraid of a cheater like you?" she retorted.

Keith scowled. "It got the job done, Princess."

Mai laughed, causing some of the men to exchange uneasy glances. "Jou _still _beat you and he didn't need an illegal lance to do it! You couldn't beat a _child_ in a fair fight if you tried, and that's assuming you _aren't_ drunk."

Keith's face darkened and before Mai could brace herself he dealt her a vicious backhanded blow. Stars exploded in her vision and she felt herself fall, her sight blurring and darkening. She heard Gurimo's indignant and alarmed snarl before the world went black and she went unconscious.

* * *

><p>"Are you certain it is safe to travel without your disguise?"<p>

Ryou shot Ishizu a worn smile over his shoulder as he continued to walk. "Don't worry, Ishizu. We're well outside of the city limits by now and none of the city guards suspected a thing. Besides," he added with the barest hint of annoyance, "I've met my quota of 'dressing like a woman' for one day. At this point I don't really care."

Rishid chuckled, readjusting the pack over his shoulder. "A quota not many can claim to have," he said. "I am sorry that you had to leave your wagon behind."

Ryou shrugged. "It's mandatory for wagons to be inspected, and that's a greater chance for me to be discovered. Besides, that wagon was already in the city. It belongs to a gypsy friend of my mother's—she let me borrow it. She'll be back in that wagon tomorrow morning."

Sivya stifled a yawn. "Well, at least you weren't arrested," she said sleepily. "I only wish we could have left earlier."

"Are you tired, Sivya?" asked Ishizu, dropping back to join the other girl. "If need be, we can rest."

"Oh no, no, I'm fine!" Sivya replied, waving her hands anxiously. "We have to get you and Rishid to your brother, so I'll be just fine to travel until then—"

"Sivya, don't be silly," chided Ryou, setting his own pack down. "We certainly won't reach Bakura's lair in one night. Believe me, I'm in no great hurry to make it back anyways—knowing Bakura, he's going to chew me out for slipping away, then tie me to the nearest tree and leave me there for a few days."

Ishizu paused. "He's that worried about your safety?"

"Oh heavens no. He just likes to make a point," Ryou replied wryly. "He'll probably tie me to the tree and then leave me there for a couple of days. I'd even be willing to bet he'll eat in front of me just to make sure I understand not to try this again—Rishid, what's wrong?"

The older Enterran had stopped walking and was looking up at the night sky, a frown marring his features. He did not immediately reply and it was not until Ishizu gently rested a hand on his arm that he finally shifted his gaze to Ryou. "I was aware that eagles do not fly at night."

Ryou blinked and then looked up, finding the bird a few seconds later. "That's not just any eagle," he said, suddenly alert. "That's Eatos."

The large eagle overhead seemed to flying evasively, ducking something dark that Ryou could not see. As he watched Eatos flew directly in front of the moon, casting a sharp relief against the sky. Ryou caught a glimpse of the huge creature pursuing the eagle and he felt the color leave his face. "Shadows," he breathed.

The creature pursuing the eagle took a swipe at her and Eatos managed to dodge it. She screeched in fury and lashed out with her talons, latching onto the arm of her attacker before attacking the face of the Shadow creature; there was a loud roar and it reared its head away, one free hand clutching its eye. Eatos had partially blinded it.

The eagle then dove sharply, disappearing into the tree above them. Ryou barely had time to register this before he saw the Shadow creature coming at them and he grabbed Sivya. "_Down!"_ he said sharply, shoving her to the earth and springing aside.

The Shadow creature slammed into the ground, landing perfectly at ease. Its burly body was nearly as tall as Rishid, dark gray curved horns framed its face. Its remaining eye glowed red and its entire body was formed of smoke and shadows; there was a oozing black sludge coming from where its left eye had once been.

Ryou was already going for his bag, rummaging inside for one of the potion bottles inside it; out of the corner of his eye he saw Sivya regain her feet and disappear into the trees surrounding the clearing. He found one that held a dark purple substance inside it and he pulled out his dagger. He poured the potion over the blade quickly, leaning away from the purple mist that rose and shielding his face with his free arm.

Ryou wasted no time and sprinted to the monster, slamming the dagger into its arm before it could recover. The knife immediately started sizzling, the dark purple substance bubbling in the monster's newly acquired wound. The creature roared and then swiped at Ryou, catching him with its arm and knocking him into a tree.

_Not the best of times to be caught without the Millennium Ring,_ he thought with a wince, watching with some alarm as the monster started advancing on him.

There was a blur of motion from his right and then Rishid was in front of him, brandishing a large tree branch like a quarterstaff. From above him he heard Eatos let out a loud and challenging cry and Ryou fought to gain his feet.

"Rishid, don't—!" he began in alarm

But the moment the Shadow creature's eye landed on Rishid it screeched in alarm, hatred and fear dancing across its features; it tried to strike but paused in mid-blow, pacing and snarling.

Ryou stared, confusion marring with surprise. It was afraid…for whatever reason, this monster could not attack Rishid.

Seconds later, however, the creature shrieked in agony as the wound Ryou gave it finally took effect and in a whirlwind of dark purple mist the monster dissolved, the shadows fading into the night around them. The only indication that it had been there was a bare patch of dirt in the grass that had been where the demon had stood and the dagger Ryou had used.

Sivya stared at the spot where it had been with trepidation. "Ryou, what did you do?"

"I gave it a taste of its own medicine," Ryou replied. "What I poured on my dagger was what you could call a liquid form of Shadow, which can temporarily turn any weapon into a Shadow weapon—Bakura gave it to me," he added, grimacing at the dagger's charred and twisted blade. "I can see now why Bakura told me never to touch it."

There was a cry from overhead and Eatos descended from the tree, flapping her large wings; Rishid held out an arm to accommodate the eagle and did not flinch when she landed on his arm. The Enterran man caught Ryou's gaze and said, "It appears that this eagle carries a message."

Ryou hurried forward, taking in the eagle's exhausted appearance and her still darting eyes. "I'll take this, Eatos," he said gently. "You can trust me to get this to the proper recipient."

Eatos did not fight him and Ryou freed the parchment from Eatos's leg; he had no sooner finished when Eatos let out a cry and in spite of her exhaustion took flight, making her way back towards the castle. She was out of sight within seconds.

"I don't understand. Why would such a terrible creature pursue an eagle?" asked Sivya uneasily.

"It was not necessarily the eagle that monster was after," replied Ishizu grimly. Her eyes went to her brother and she walked to his side. "I am also wondering why the creature did not attack Rishid, though I am thankful it stayed its hand."

"It certainly was not voluntary," said Ryou absently, unrolling the parchment with a frown. "It was almost as if that creature feared Rishid…"

Ryou's eyes locked onto the hastily scrawled message and he blanched.

"Ryou?" asked Sivya uncertainly, resting a hand on his arm. "Ryou, what's happened?"

The white-haired young man immediately rolled the parchment back up and strode to his bag, picking it up and slinging it over his shoulder. He turned to Rishid and the others and said grimly, "I'm afraid we've got to get back to Bakura's lair as quickly as we can. I know I said there's no way to reach it in one night but we're going to have to."

Ishizu's hand went to the Tauk around her neck and for the briefest of seconds her eyes flickered. "It's Princess Mai."

Ryou nodded grimly, motioning for them to follow him as he started into the trees. "She's in trouble."

* * *

><p>A cold and wet cloth was brushing against her face and neck. It brought her back out of the darkness she'd fallen into, but it also made her painfully aware of her throbbing face and the accompanying headache. She did not open her eyes at first, too disoriented to move.<p>

The cloth carefully started dabbing at the area on her face where Keith had hit her and she groaned, turning her head to avoid it. "Don' d' tha'," she murmured weakly. She had no control over her voice at the moment and inwardly grimaced at how slurred her words were. "Hur's."

There was a pause and the cloth lifted. "Of course it does," replied a gruff voice with a touch of exasperation. "It looks like you got punched in the face."

Her eyes opened and a blurred face overhead was the first thing she saw; whatever room she was currently in was dimly lit, but even so she was still able to see in the light. She recognized who was currently tending to her, even as distorted as her vision was. She took a moment to collect herself and when she spoke next her voice was stronger. "And hello to you too, Raphael."

She sat up slowly, holding her face and gingerly prodding the throbbing part of her cheek before turning her attention to the burly man. "So how bad does it look?" she asked.

Raphael shrugged, rising to his feet and padding back over the bench set into the wall "You won't be winning any beauty awards for a while, let's put it that way," he replied, sitting down.

Mai took in the damp stone walls and the torchlight filtering in from outside, also noting the bars over the small window set into the thick oak door, and she sighed. "Let me guess. Dungeon?"

"Dungeon," he confirmed hollowly. "I've been down here since…well, actually, I don't know. I suspect it hasn't been longer than a day."

"You've been here since this afternoon, if I had to make an educated guess. How'd you get down here, anyways?" she asked. "No one saw you leave and I would have known if you'd gotten thrown in here."

Raphael shrugged again. "I don't know how," he admitted grudgingly, noticing Mai's startled look. "The last thing I remember was talking to you, and everything between that point and when I found myself here is a blank."

Mai grimaced. "You can thank Ishtar for that," she said, leaning against the wall with a sigh. "That seems to be his preferred method of choice."

Raphael's face darkened. "Marik's look-alike. I should have guessed," he said grimly, and Mai started with surprise. "He's rather fond of that Shadow item."

"So you know Ishtar," Mai said, frowning at him. Her frown deepened when she recalled the jousting tournament. "That means you _had_ to have known about Jean Claude being the fake prince."

It was Raphael's turn to look surprised. "I was right, then. You really didn't know what was going on," he said, more to himself then to Mai. Noticing Mai watching him, however, he looked away at a point on the wall behind her. "I can't answer that."

Mai scowled, straightening up. "Honey, at this point I think it's a little late to be keeping secrets. I already know Jean Claude is the fake prince. What I don't know is why you stood by and let it happen," she said, folding her arms.

Even in the dim lighting Mai did not miss the way Raphael's face darkened. "You better be careful on what you're implying, Princess."

"What exactly do you think I'm insinuating?" she retorted. "I didn't say anything."

"You're thinking it," he growled.

"What do you want me to say? I'm not seeing very many other alternatives here, mind reader. What was your price, exactly? Money, power, land? A woman? He bought you with something, since you didn't call for aid when he came here."

Raphael practically flew to his feet and in the darkness his eyes flashed. "Watch what you say, _Princess_. I am not bought by such petty means. I didn't grow up in this castle and was brought here against my wishes, but that does not mean I'll turn traitor for the right price," he spat, fury darkening his features.

Mai flinched but met his gaze. "Well you won't tell me the truth, so I can't think of anything different," she snapped. "I don't want to believe you'd betray Jou by having your loyalty bought, but you aren't exactly proclaiming your innocence here."

Raphael glowered at her, anger mingling with helplessness, but he did not answer and instead sat on the bench. "Think what you will, then."

Mai rubbed her still aching jaw and frowned. It was obvious there was more to this story than what he was telling her. Raphael had not been bribed into allowing Jean Claude to take over, so that meant something else had happened. She had already tried asking him directly what was going on, but whether it was because he still did not trust her or because he genuinely could not tell her was something yet to be seen.

Why hadn't he called for help? That was one of Mai's biggest questions. If Raphael was really as loyal as he said he was, why hadn't he sent out pleas for help the moment Jean Claude had arrived? For that matter, why hadn't _any _of the remaining guards called for aid?

An idea hit her and she dug into the pouch at her side. She grabbed what felt like string and it took her a moment to remember that this was the necklace that Eatos had given her. Mai moved around it and she felt the cold surface of the memory gem under her palm. Gripping it, she strode to where Raphael was sitting and pulled it out.

"Can you do me a favor and hold this? I need to rearrange my pouch—and don't look at me like that, I don't have a shopping bazaar to distract myself this time," she added irritably when Raphael shot her a skeptical look.

The blond man eyed her suspiciously for a few moments before he held his hand out. "All right, why not? I don't exactly have anything better to do," he said.

He reached up to take it from her, but the moment his hand touched the gem he paused. "What is this?" he asked, frowning. "I don't know why you're carrying around such a large gemstone—"

"_Priori memoriam," _she said, and Raphael's eyes widened as he realized too late what Mai was up to. He tried to pull away but Mai caught his hand and held on.

The blinding light that swallowed her vision was different than last time. Instead of surrounding the room it filled Mai's mind and she grimaced, nearly releasing her grip. Even as she registered this change she gasped as an immense pressure began pushing her mind back—Raphael was subconsciously and instinctively fighting her presence in his memories.

Whether she spoke out loud or only in her mind she did not know, but she said furiously, "Quit fighting me! I can't help you if I don't know the whole story!"

And then, without warning, the pressure alleviated and Mai gasped as rapid-fire images began flying through her mind.

* * *

><p><em>There was a blond-haired boy playing with two smaller and younger children, a boy and a girl, and in the background were what had to be his parents, a strong looking brown haired man and a pretty blonde woman…<em>

_…the years passed and the boy was now just barely a teenager and crossing a bridge with his family when the flood waters came, and for the briefest of seconds his hand brushed those of his siblings as he frantically tried to grab them, and then his family was swallowed by the water and he went under…_

_...he was waking up and staggering down a forest path in the aftermath of the flood, hopelessly lost…despair slammed into him when he realized that his family was dead and he sank to his knees, starting to cry—_

No, _she thought, shaking her head, _no, I don't want to go this far back. I need to see what happened a few months ago.

_And without warning a blinding flash overwhelmed her vision, forcing her to shield her eyes—_

* * *

><p><em>Mai's eyes snapped open and she took in her new surroundings, half afraid Raphael had successfully forced her out of his memories. To her surprise, however, she found herself in the throne room of the castle; black drapes hung in place of the more colorful ones she had seen on her visit and there was a somber air in the room. <em>

_She was inside Raphael's memory, she realized, and this time there was not the slightest bit of pressure. Either Raphael had allowed her to see this or he had simply been unable to hold out against her._

_There was a movement in front of her and then she saw Raphael enter the hall. He was wearing a dark blue cotton shirt with black pants and knee-high leather boots. Mai brightened and reached for his arm. "Glad to see you here," she began, then jumped when her hand passed through him. _

_This was the Raphael that belonged in the memory, she realized. Raphael himself was probably reliving this moment from the perspective of this man in front of her, but as Mai was a third-party she was watching things from outside his perspective._

_"You wished to see me?" he asked, his voice carrying a slight edge of tension to it, and Mai turned to face the front of the throne room. Her breath caught when she saw who was standing in the room._

_Jou was rising from his chair, and though he looked tired he grinned at Raphael. He was wearing a simple green short-sleeved shirt with dark pants tucked into knee-high leather boots. A thick golden circlet sat just underneath his bangs, and Mai could still make out the large ruby with two smaller diamonds in the center of it._

_His brown eyes lit up and Jou said, "Yeah. Glad you came so quickly. Take it easy, friend—you're not in trouble. I just need to talk to you."_

_Raphael relaxed in place but the wary light in his eyes did not fade. "What is it you wished to discuss with me?"_

_Jou ran a hand through his hair and, after a moment's pause, began speaking. "As you've heard by now, my dad's dead. He got himself drunk last night and fell into the pond, and he drowned before anyone could get to him. Don't worry about me, it was not a major loss," he added bluntly, noticing Raphael about to offer his condolences._

_Mai snorted. She was not surprised to see Jou acting so brusque on the matter, nor was she sad about the man's passing. Jou's father had been a drunkard—and she had bandaged the wounds sustained by the 'sparring matches' Jou would get into with him._

_Jou cleared his throat and said, "I'm sending the forest folk home tomorrow. I'll be letting them know as soon as I'm done talking to you, and all of you are going to be paid for your services. No, no, don't even start," he said flatly. "My dad didn't have a good reason to drag you out of the forest, as we weren't at war or even in danger of getting into war. You need some payback for your troubles."_

_Jou sighed, and Mai noticed how exhausted he looked. If she could have, she would have given the poor boy a hug. "Look, you know as well as I do my sister's getting worse. Before he died, my dad wouldn't let me go on a quest to find a cure for the illness she has—he called it a waste of time," he said, his face darkening. "I don't believe that's true, and that's why I'm leaving tomorrow to find a cure if I'm able to. I'll be gone for two months, at which point I have to come back whether I find it or not."_

_Raphael nodded, something of approval lighting his eyes. "I still don't entirely understand what you need me for."_

_Jou started to slowly pace and when he next spoke he was not facing Raphael. "You're a noble of some kind, aren't you? And don't lie, I've seen proof of it every now and then. I pay attention, you know," he added with a laugh._

_"…I was the son of a minor lord in Beryl, that is true," Raphael admitted gruffly. "But I've long since renounced that title. What does that have to do with this conversation?"_

_Jou turned to face him. "I'm leaving the kingdom under the care of the steward when I set off tomorrow. Normally, that position would belong Tristan's father and Tristan himself would be captain of the guard, as they're both trained to act as substitute royals in the absence of the royal family. However, Tristan's dad died just before the forest folk were brought here. Tristan's got to be the steward in my absence and traditionally someone with noble upbringing has to be the captain of the guard."_

_Mai was quite certain her stunned expression mirrored Raphael's. He cleared his throat and said, "You want me to…Your Majesty, I can't. I'm not a man of the castle and it would be wiser to choose someone the men of this castle can relate to—"_

_Jou grinned. "They do. You don't seem to realize it, but the men—forest or castle—listen to anything you tell them and respect you for it. I've seen it, Tristan's seen it, and when I asked the castle guards who should be in charge while I'm gone they all basically nominated you."_

_The younger man's face softened when Raphael looked conflicted and he said gently, "I'm not forcing this on you. I'm only asking. If you want to leave, then hey, I will not stop you or fault you for leaving. You've got that friend of yours in the forest that you're probably worried about—and stop looking surprised, I told you I paid attention. If you need to leave, then by all means go ahead, but I need to know by tomorrow morning what your decision is."_

_Raphael studied the floor and after a few minutes of silence looked back up. "I need some time to think this through. I will have an answer by this evening, Your Majesty," he said quietly. _

_Jou brightened and he said, "Great! Take your time on it, though—like I said, you've got until tomorrow morning to tell me," he said._

* * *

><p><em>The room faded and Mai jumped, surprised. What happened? Was Raphael finally forcing her out? No…no, she could see another light beginning to grow, and she realized it was another memory…<em>

* * *

><p><em>"…and he asked you to be <em>captain_?"_

_The new voice was both familiar and surprised, and for once the owner of the voice looked just as surprised as he sounded. Mai was looking at a very much alive and much healthier looking Alister, who was still wearing the sleeveless gray hooded shirt she'd see him wearing before he'd been unstrung._

_Aside from Alister, the only two occupants of the room were Raphael and a young woman Mai did not recognize. The girl could not be much older than Mai, perhaps younger, and she was idly toying with the long honey-caramel braid that was hanging over her right shoulder; she wore a white peasant top and a dark green skirt that stopped just above her ankles. Around her neck was an oak pendant, carved into the shape of an angel, and Mai realized she had seen that necklace before._

_Raphael sighed, running a hand through his cropped hair. "He did. I've already decided I'm staying here, but I'm not making you two stay with me."_

_"I don't see why you don't just leave," retorted the redhead. "It's not your business, is it?"_

_"It doesn't matter. He's asking this from me because he's doing something for his sister, and personally I'd be doing the same thing if I was in his position," Raphael said. "You of all people know what it's like to risk everything for a younger sibling."_

_Alister gave the barest of flinches and looked away. _

_"But you do want to leave," said the young woman quietly when Raphael fell silent. "I can tell, Raphael. We haven't heard from Valon for several months now and Yugi's said in his letters he hasn't seen Valon either."_

_Alister sighed. "Typical. That probably means the little idiot got himself into trouble," he muttered. He looked at Raphael and asked, "What's the problem?"_

_"The prince is sending home the forest folk tomorrow. He's making it an option for them to stay or go, but you can bet that nearly everyone here will go back to the forest. What do you think Valon will do if he sees those men home but not us?" asked Raphael. "Alister, you've got to go back and find him."_

_The woman and Alister exchanged looks and the redhead said, "I told you he'd say that, Elya."_

_Mai started. _Elya…where have I heard that name before?

_Raphael was frowning at the both of them. "What does that mean?"_

_"Look, I've lived in your company long enough to understand that when you commit to something you don't waver. I'm not leaving you up here alone," said Alister flatly. "Besides, the archers here are terrible shots. They could stand to have someone whip them into shape."_

_The burly man arched an eyebrow. "Oh? And what about Valon?" he asked. "You're just as bothered over it as I am."_

_"I'll go," Elya said quietly, catching their attention. "I don't like the idea of separating or of leaving, but you're right in that someone needs to tell Valon what's happening and someone has to be there for him until you come back. If I have to leave you here, I'd rather it be with someone I can trust that will keep this kingdom—and you—safe."_

_"No. You aren't going alone," Raphael said immediately. "I am not risking your safety."_

_ "You may have lived in the forest for a couple of years, Raphael, but I was born and raised there. I can travel through the woods until I find Valon. Then I can tell him what's happening. If need be I'll even stay in the forest with him until you both come back."_

_Elya smiled and gave Raphael's hand a reassuring squeeze when he looked ready to protest. "Don't worry about me, Raphael. I'll be all right—I've lived alone before, remember?" she asked._

_"That was before you were my wife," he replied, though his shoulders lost some of their tension. After mulling over his thoughts for a while longer, he sighed and said, "All right. I don't entirely agree with this idea, but it seems to be the only one we're left with. Be careful, Elya."_

_She smiled warmly at him. "I'll get myself packed. When I find him I'll send a message from Yugi's inn," she said, and after giving him a quick kiss on the cheek she left the room._

* * *

><p><em>The memory faded out and Mai was once more in the darkness. Now she remembered where she had heard that name…Valon had told her about Elya when they had been on their way to the river, just before the White Dragon had attacked. <em>_A growing, terrible suspicion began forming at the back of her mind. _

_Now it was just snippets that passed, a month flying by after this encounter…there was one of Tristan pacing the throne room worriedly, fretting over the absence of one of Jou's letters…_

_…"He's never been late in sending a letter before," Tristan said unhappily. "He's never late in anything, and he promised me he would send one every other day. Something's wrong."…_

_Then she was on the outer wall of the castle and Alister was putting a reassuring hand on Raphael's shoulder. "She'll send a letter soon enough, Raphael," he said. "She's tougher than she looks and she knows what she's doing. It takes time to travel through the forest, though, and it may be a little longer before we hear from her. Besides," he said grimly, "I'm more worried about the prince. Tristan's right to worry, Prince Jousef is never tardy for anything—"_

_And now there was one more bright spot and Mai fell into another memory—_

* * *

><p><em>Mai found herself back in the throne room, the black drapes long since gone. Raphael had just come in, she realized, and though he had the same outfit on as before he was wearing armor and a long cloak. "I've just come from a patrol to find that you've banished almost everyone in the castle, Tristan. What is the meaning behind this?" he asked sharply.<em>

_His gaze went to the man sitting in the throne, though, and he stiffened. "You're not Tristan or the prince. Who are you?" he snarled, his hand flying to his sword hilt._

_Jean Claude, who was dressed in fine white silk with light tan pants and boots, put on a feigned expression of innocence. "What on earth are you talking about? Of course I am the prince. You're just mistaken, captain."_

_Raphael's eyes narrowed. "Do you take me for a fool, you imposter?" he growled. "Get out of that chair and leave this castle at once, before I toss you out myself."_

_"My, so you are as loyal as the rumors say. I can guess that offering you gold or silver won't sway you much, will it?"_

_Raphael did not answer. He didn't have to, either, as the look on his face spoke louder than words._

_Jean Claude shrugged lazily and then snapped his fingers. "So much for hoping you had troll blood in you. Guards, seize him."_

_Three men abruptly entered the room from behind him, but even as Raphael turned to face them there was an angry buzzing sound and three arrows almost simultaneously embedded themselves into the shoulders of the attackers. All three collapsed with pained howls as Alister stepped out from the shadows of the room._

_Mai winced. Alister had aimed at the only weak point in their armor, where the shoulder plates connected with the chest plate, and while that spot was almost impossible to hit an arrow there would cripple them. Alister's former skill with a bow and arrow had truly been something to see._

_"The captain just gave you an order. Get out," Alister said coldly, nocking another arrow. "Unless, of course, you _want_ to become an oversized pincushion. If that's the case I'd be more than obliged to help."_

_Jean Claude let out a dramatic sigh. "Such violence. Isn't there another way to resolve this?" he asked. He turned to the shadows behind the chair he was sitting in and said, "Ishtar, do me a favor. Negotiate with them for me, would you?"_

_The shadows slipped out and reformed into what had to be Ishtar, as the figure was wearing a cloak at the moment and Mai could not see any of his features. "Certainly," he said, and he lifted the rod. "Round one of negotiations."_

_He pointed the rod at the nearest mirror and lifted it up, the shadows surrounding it and carrying it in front of him. The interior of the mirror blackened for the briefest of seconds before it shifted, showing a forest clearing inside it. She could see the river nearby and a small pile of fish , but nothing else._

_"Mirror, mirror, be my eyes, who's that in there waiting to die?" Ishtar said in a sing-song voice, and Mai paled when she saw Valon resurface in the water._

_Alister and Raphael both started violently, and alarm briefly crossed their features. They said nothing, however, waiting to see what Ishtar was doing._

_"You know, he doesn't even know we're watching him," said Ishtar conversationally, lifting the rod again. The top of it began to glow and Mai watched in growing fear as Valon stiffened. That was a sight she was becoming all too familiar with. "And now, he doesn't even know what he's doing."_

_She did not even have to be up close to the mirror to know that Valon's normally bright blue eyes had just dulled and had gone blank. Ishtar was using the Millennium Rod to control him at the moment—and Mai did not like where this was going._

_"You see, he'd never know it if he did a little dance," Ishtar began as he waved the Rod, and Valon's body violently started jerking. Ishtar's grin widened from underneath the cloak and he continued, halting Valon's body. "Or maybe I should have him wade into the river and stay underwater until he drowns?"_

_Valon started walking jerkily toward the water and was now up to his knees. The color was leaving both Raphael's and Alister's faces, both of them too horrified to react._

_"No, but drowning is such a boring way to go. It's frightening, yes, but if he's not even aware of it there's not a point in doing it," Ishtar sighed, and with a violent yanking motion of the Rod Valon literally flew out of the water and against a tree, slumping to the ground bonelessly._

_"Stop it!" Raphael snarled, fear coloring his voice._

_Ishtar's smile widened even further and he twirled the Millennium Rod absently. Valon rose to his feet mutely. "You know something, I bet I could even make him slit his own wrists and he'd bleed to death, slowly and without even realizing he was dying," he remarked, and the Millennium Rod gleamed._

_In the mirror, Valon pulled out the knife at his side and held the sharp blade out over his left wrist, looking straight ahead. _

_Mai started forward with a scream, not caring if this was a memory and that this had already happened. _NO!

_An arrow abruptly lodged itself in the mirror and with a shriek the glass shattered. The Millennium Rod stopped glowing and seconds before the glass shards hit the floor Mai saw Valon crumple to the earth, the knife falling harmlessly into a patch of grass._

_Alister was still holding his bow, his breath coming out in ragged, almost frightened pants, but his gray eyes were lit with cold fire and he nocked another arrow within seconds. "For all we know," he said icily, "you could have conjured that image. If you knew Prince Jousef was gone it wouldn't take much to find out our weaknesses. We don't even know if that's really him."_

_Ishtar seemed to stare at Alister for a few moments before he laughed, the sound causing the hair on Mai's arms to rise. "That's quite true, little archer, but answer me this—does _she_ look like something I conjured?"_

_Mai froze as the shadows rose from the floor in front of her. A young woman staggered out from the depths of the shadows, her arms bound behind her back and a gag over her mouth._

_Raphael's voice was a strangled cry._ "Elya!"

_Ishtar caught her arm and pulled Elya to his side before she could try to escape. "Oh, so you know this pretty little woodland bird? She strayed from her nest and soon the hawk caught her in its talons," he said tauntingly, turning to Jean Claude. "I did tell you that she would come in handy, didn't I?"_

_"You did," Jean Claude admitted with a laugh. "And frankly I'm glad you made me take her with us. It seems she has some use to us after all."_

_Raphael strode forward before Alister could stop him, his eyes blazing and his sword already drawn. "Let her go!" he snarled, his voice trembling with both anger and fear._

_Ishtar looked perfectly at ease as Raphael approached, and just as the taller man had nearly reached him he carelessly tossed a green stone that glittered in the sunlight—orichalcum—and the stone fell to the floor. _

_The moment it had the shard of orichalcum shone with an ethereal light and a green circle lined with runes flared out around Raphael, the familiar green lightning that had attacked Jou crackling menacingly along the floor before the circle collapsed around Raphael. The lightning formed into one solid stream and then slammed into the man. Elya let out a muffled but horrified scream._

"Raphael!"

_Alister had dropped his bow and grabbed Raphael's arm to try and pull him out of the circle, but Ishtar tossed another orichalcum shard at Alister's feet and soon Alister was in the same predicament Raphael was. Mai noticed with alarm that green runes were forming around Elya's neck, forming a collar of green light._

_She was not the only one with this latest accessory, Mai saw with growing dread. Raphael and Alister both had identical rings forming around their own necks._

_Abruptly the circles vanished and the two men collapsed, twitching unpleasantly and pain lining their features. Jean Claude snapped his fingers and a new group of guards pulled them roughly to their feet; Mai noticed that the green circles around Raphael's, Alister's, and Elya's necks had vanished._

_"Gentlemen, let me explain what just happened to you," said Jean Claude brightly, and both of them managed to open their eyes to look at him. "You've just been the first of the few remaining castle guards placed under a modified gag spell. While I've taken great means to ensure that no one outside the castle knows of my little switch around, I was unsure of how to garner the loyalty of the remaining guards here. I don't have enough men of my own to fill the castle, so of course I had to leave some behind—hence this little spell._

_"Let me explain how this works. If anyone under this little spell speaks of anything that has transpired here to someone outside of this castle, this happens."_

_Jean Claude snapped his fingers and the glowing green collar reappeared around Elya's neck. The woman let out a muffled scream of pain from behind the gag as green lightning crackled along her body, and in spite of his weakened state Raphael tried to fight to get to her._

_"Of course," Jean Claude said absently when the lightning stopped and Elya collapsed, "that was only a milder version of what happens. Once the spell has been placed on all the remaining guards it will blast pretty little Elya here with a full version of the spell—and she won't be the only one. Aside from whichever guard speaks out, every other guard will be blasted with that lightning. Not only will I know who spoke out, everyone else gets to suffer for it."_

_He sighed again and continued. "Granted, castle men wouldn't necessarily be sympathetic with a common forest woman, so I'll also place the gag spell on Jousef's younger sister. In her current condition I don't think she'll survive a full-bodied blast from a gag spell such as this, do you?"_

_The shadows swallowed Elya's crumpled form, Ishtar vanishing with her. At Raphael's horrified look Jean Claude said, "Don't fret over her. She'll be safe and sound with young Princess Shizuka, as long as you cooperate and don't say a word to anyone outside the castle. Now, guards, take them away. I want the remainder of Jousef's men in here as well—they need their collars."_

_As Raphael and Alister were pulled away, Jean Claude called after them. "Don't bother telling Princess Mai about this. She's coming early, true, but she's in on the whole thing. Going to her won't help you any—I'll be very displeased with you if I find out you've told her."_

* * *

><p>Mai stumbled backwards and her grip on Raphael's hand slackened. The memory gem, still glowing and warm to the touch, fell to the dungeon floor with a gentle clatter. Mai ignored it, her wide-eyed gaze on where Raphael had slumped onto the bench. He was breathing hard and his hands were clenched tightly at his sides, his eyes locked onto the floor.<p>

"So that's what happened," she breathed softly. "That's why you and Alister were so angry at me. It wasn't disapproval, it was because you thought I'd betrayed Jou. Jean Claude never bought your loyalty," she added in disgust, her voice trembling. "He _stole_ it, and there wasn't anything you could do about it."

She studied her hands for a few seconds and then cleared her throat awkwardly, catching Raphael's attention. "I take back every nasty thing I ever said about you," she said, slumping against the wall.

Her situation had just gotten worse.


	27. The Proposal

_I know, I know. It's been how long?_

_There were quite a few things going on at my end and combined with a few chapter construction issues...well, suffice it to say, I did not plan on being gone for so long. I have a nice, long, lovely update to make up for my absence - __aaand I can already tell you now you're not going to like what happens in this chapter._

_...Seriously now. Please don't kill me later for this._

* * *

><p>Ryou clambered over a fallen log, turning to help Sivya over the tree. "We're not far now," he said, his gaze shifting to where Ishizu and Rishid were coming down the path. "From here it's only a couple of hours, maybe less if we pick up the pace."<p>

"Bakura's lair is so close to the city?" asked Rishid, visibly surprised. He easily vaulted to the top of the log, but turned to assist his sister.

Ryou shook his head. "No. Bakura's one for taking risks to ease his boredom, but he's never that bored. We're taking a different path back," he replied. He waited until the other two Enterrans had joined him on the ground before continuing forward.

One of Ryou's primary concerns about going to Hermos had involved returning to the lair quickly. He knew what Bakura's reaction would be and he certainly did not want to be away longer than he had to; Bakura valued Ryou's life only because without him Bakura would be trapped within the Ring permanently. Any time separated from Bakura would only anger and worry the thief (though this was something Bakura was loath to admit).

Yami had known this as well, though he had seemed not to particularly care what Bakura's reaction would be. That was why the spirit had used Shadow magic to forge a "tunnel" from the lair to his current destination; it was the same method that Bakura had used to get to Kaiba's mountain home.

He glanced up at the sky above them, frowning when he noticed that it was still dark above them. Dawn was soon approaching and with any luck they would reach their new destination just as the sun started to rise. It was always safer to travel Shadow paths during the day.

The ominous sound of thunder rumbling broke the silence of the forest and the group turned in the direction they had just come from. Sivya looked uneasy and her grip on the staff tightened. "It's a late summer storm," she said, her honey-colored eyes darkening. "This time of year the storms are more dangerous and the wind alone can fell trees. My brothers always cautioned me about traveling during one."

Ryou caught the sight of lightning in the distance and quietly began to count, stopping when the rumble of thunder once again broke the silence. "It'll hit the castle first," he said at last, turning around. "We've still got time to reach our destination—but we've got to hurry. I don't want to be caught out in the open when the storm reaches us."

He allowed Sivya and Rishid to pass him, ducking back to speak to Ishizu. There was somethigg bothering him and it was time to address the issue. "Ishizu, that creature back in the clearing…do you know why it was afraid of Rishid?" he asked, making certain the Enterran man was out of earshot.

For the briefest of seconds Ishizu's composure cracked, and she gave the barest of flinches; the motion had happened almost too fast to catch, but Ryou still saw it. "I believe I do," she said quietly, still noticeably tense. "It is not a mark against you, Ryou, but I believe that this is a matter best discussed with my youngest brother first."

Ryou felt a pair of eyes on him and looked past Ishizu, his gaze landing on Rishid. The older man was watching them attentively; it was quite apparent that he knew what was being discussed, despite the fact he was a good distance ahead of them. Sivya was shooting confused looks to everyone, her eyes flitting from one person to the next in hopes of gaining an explanation.

Ryou looked away. "I get it," he said quietly. "I'm a patient person, and I don't need to know right this second. For now, let's just focus on getting back to our destination—we still have quite some distance to cover."

He continued forward with a reassuring smile, but once he had passed all three of the Enterrans a frown marred his features.

He remembered the night Marik had first joined up with the thieves. Rishid had been badly hurt and Ishizu herself had been pale and scared; Marik had been the worst off that night, his eyes alarmingly blank and practically bathing in blood that was not his. He knew there was more to the story, of course, but what those missing details were was anyone's guess.

Something had happened in the catacombs all those years ago, something both Rishid nor Ishizu had told Marik—and it had something to do with the way the Shadow creature had balked at Rishid's presence.

Thunder broke the silence of the night once more and Ryou turned, shivering in the sudden gust of chilling wind; he could see the clouds gathering over the distant castle, its outline appearing in the growing and frequent flashes of lightning. The storm was getting closer.

_And in more ways than one, _he mused morbidly as he led the other Enterrans deeper into the trees.

* * *

><p>"She's <em>where?"<em>

Jean Claude paced the throne room impatiently, glowering at the group of men standing in front of him. Most of them had enough common sense to avoid his irate gaze, but Gurimo and Keith both met the man's eyes; Keith did not necessarily seem to care and was slouching in place, his hands on his hips and looking completely bored.

Gurimo stood at attention, on the other hand, and when Jean Claude went silent he said, "We threw her in the dungeon because she had attempted to escape. We figured it best to put her where she could not—"

"I don't care _why_ you did it! You put her in the dungeons where she could meet one of two people—and they both know exactly what's going on around here!" he snarled. "Do you realize what could happen if she learns the full truth?"

Keith snorted. "No offense, my liege, but we're all pretty sure she knows everything by now," he said, a derisive edge to his voice. "Learning a little more won't hurt her any—you erased her memories the first time, right? Why not do it again?"

"Because I don't want to addle her brains any further by magic, you twit!" snarled Jean Claude. "She's no use to me as a brain-dead vegetable! Magic is something I have no expertise with and I don't know what will happen if a stronger spell is cast on her memory! The less she knows, the less I have to have removed!"

"Ah, but Jean Claude, for once the pawn is correct," a smooth voice responded calmly.

All of the men in the room jumped at the voice and their gazes shot to the entrance to the throne room, where Ishtar was striding through the doors. One of his hands was over his left eye, a black liquid oozing from between his fingertips; his arm also had what appeared to be a knife wound that had the same black liquid leaking from it. He did not seem overly concerned about his current condition, however, and regarded all of them with a bored expression.

He continued speaking when he was assured he had their attention. "If she is in the dungeon, it can only mean that she already knows far too much. We'll have to erase her memories once again, whether you like it or not," he said, sounding almost gleeful at the thought.

Jean Claude's face clouded. "But if I have to erase her memory too many times she could be turned into a brainless doll!" he snapped furiously. "I can't just—!"

"I was under the impression that she already _was_ a brainless doll," Ishtar replied carelessly. "If you're worried about the captain, though, you'll know it if he says anything."

He tipped his head to the green amulet around Jean Claude's neck before turning his gaze to the guards. "Return to your posts before I decide to throw you to the Shadows—and mark my words, your demise _will not _be swift and painless."

The group of guards instantly scurried out of the room, not glancing backward even once; judging by the look on the Enterran's face, this course of action was the best decision the men had made that night.

Ishtar watched them leave with a predatory expression, and only when they had left the room entirely did he turn his attention to the irate man pacing the room. "My, but don't you look worried."

"Of _course_ I am! My carefully laid plan is going down the drain and you morons don't seem to care! You assured me she wouldn't remember anything and yet she's in the dungeon, her memory almost fully intact!"

"You'd be wise not to loop me in with your peons," said Ishtar coldly. "As for the woman's memory, I merely stated that her recovery would be nearly impossible to accomplish. I never guaranteed that her altered mental state would be permanent."

Jean Claude whirled on him to possibly snarl something else, but he finally took notice of Ishtar's current condition and he paused. "What happened to you?" he asked, frowning. "What have you been doing?"

For the briefest of seconds Ishtar's eyes flickered. "Nothing requiring immediate concern," the Enterran replied nonchalantly. "In regards to the woman, you have no choice but to erase her memory. There is a chance of having company in a few days. It would be to your advantage to have the woman under control."

"C-Company?" stuttered the other man, his eyes widening. "What do you mean by company? Who's coming?"

"You have little to worry over," replied Ishtar carelessly. "It can be handled as long as the woman does not remember everything she's discovered—a matter I will be more than happy to personally see to."

Jean Claude nodded grimly. "Very well," he said at last. "I will go with you when we go to the dungeon. We'll try to negotiate with her first before we resort to using magic. Perhaps Mai would understand my position and we won't have to go so far as erasing her memory again."

Ishtar scoffed but chose not to say anything.

"In the meantime, I want you to tell Gurimo to round up all of Prince Jousef's men and lock them in the guardhouse. I've let them run around long enough and I have more important things to worry over. When that is done, send someone to find Mai's handmaiden and bring her here—I don't know where that woman has gone, but I want her found and locked away."

Ishtar's remaining eye darkened. "Do not order me like I am one of your servants," he retorted. "I do as I please."

"Yes, but as long as your master and I are doing business you _do_ answer to me!" Jean Claude replied irritably. "Now get along—and_ please_ do something about that eye of yours. That injury is disgusting to look at."

Ishtar deliberately uncovered his eye, allowing Jean Claude to see the empty and torn socket; the dark substance that was still leaking from his eye stained his cheek and dark wisps of shadow hung about the damaged eye. Jean Claude visibly recoiled, looking green, but by then Ishtar was turning and leaving the throne room. He could not deny that he was amused by Jean Claude's reaction as he entered the darkened hallway beyond the throne room.

Jean Claude was a fool, but Ishtar had the patience to suffer with his idiotic behavior—the reward was the destruction of the Nameless King and the promise of at least three Shadow Items. For now, he would refrain from mentioning the eagle and the message it carried. This whole ridiculous plot involving the kingdom had no hold over him; the only reason he was even here was to deal with the Shadow wielders and to take the items from their cold, dead hands.

His arm throbbed and he cast a dispassionate gaze on the cut on his forearm. The one thing he could not have predicted was the presence of _that man_. The thief's vessel had surprised him with the poisoned dagger, certainly, and he was fortunate he had been controlling a Shadow creature rather than go in person to the clearing; the advantage was that he could not be killed if the creature died, but the cost of wielding the Shadow creatures in that fashion meant sustaining any injuries it gained.

Even with that dagger, however, he could have easily dealt with the thief's vessel had it not been for _him._

The crack of thunder broke the silence and the lightning lit the sky outside, the first raindrops hitting the windows. He looked up with mild interest, coming out of his thoughts. A late summer storm had arrived—what perfect timing.

He held the Rod to his arm and watched the shadows seep into the wound, pulling the flesh back together and the remnants of the poison lifting from the cut, evaporating in the air in a puff of dark purple smoke. He flexed his arm experimentally, making a fist before a cold smile lit his features.

The woman would be the first thing he dealt with, he decided. She had escaped the Shadow Game by grace and a healthy dose sheer dumb luck, but after he was done with her she would be lucky if she could even scream. His smile grew, revealing pointed eyeteeth. Oh yes, he would have such fun destroying her.

For now, he'd put up with the orders and the insults and the whining. He held the Rod to his face, tapping the cold item to his cheek and covering his empty eye socket. There was a gleam that lit the hallway and after some pressure his eye completely reformed.

"For now," he hissed, his eyes glinting in the darkness.

* * *

><p>"You're making me dizzy with all that pacing."<p>

Mai scoffed, turning her attention to the other person in the cell. "It helps me think. This time I don't have shopping to clear my mind and I hate staying still," she retorted before once more walking across the cell. "Besides, you big baby, I've only been walking for a few minutes."

She returned to her thoughts, all of which were racing a mile a minute. Now that she knew what was at stake she would have to be careful from now on. She nearly had the entire story now, but there were still a few details she was uncertain about—not to mention she had to find a way out of the cell before Jean Claude came down.

Had Vivian escaped safely? Had any of the other guards seen the black-haired woman leave? Even if they had, she suspected there had been a few of Jou's remaining guards on sentry duty. If they had seen her they could have chosen not to sound the alarm; as far as she knew the guards who had intercepted her in the stables had not seen Eatos leave, nor had they realized Vivian was gone. As long as she was careful not to say anything about either of them they would more than likely make it to safety.

A sudden thought struck her and she paled. Speaking of not saying anything…she had peered into Raphael's memories to determine what it was he had not been telling her, but what if that had activated the gag spell? Seeing Raphael's memories could very well be counted as him telling her outright of what had transpired in the castle. What if she had inadvertently brought harm to Shizuka and Elya, as well as the other guards? What if she had _killed_ Shizuka? The younger girl was too weak to withstand a full blast of that spell!

"The pressure in this room is peculiar. It's probably because it's a dungeon, but at least the atmosphere hasn't gotten heavier."

The offhand comment startled Mai out of her thoughts and she looked over at Raphael. "What?"

"The atmosphere in here hasn't gotten heavier," Raphael repeated emphatically. "I noticed that you were looking worried, so I thought I'd assure you of that much."

She felt the beginnings of an irritated sigh rising in her chest. He was babbling at her now—fantastic. Even as she was about to reply, however, she processed what Raphael was trying to tell her and Mai bit back the angry retort.

_The spell didn't activate. They're safe._

Mai leaned against the wall, relief replacing her anger. She had not gotten anyone hurt or killed by seeing Raphael's memories. "I'm glad it's not so heavy down here, too," she replied gratefully. "This place could use some redecorating, though. Seriously, all this gray moldy stone is so monotonous. Would it kill them to add drapes and some comfortable furniture?"

Raphael offered a small, wan smile. "I'm sure that the architects of the dungeon had other priorities aside from tailoring a cell to accommodate royalty."

Mai grinned and readjusted her position on the bench, jumping when her foot brushed against something on the floor; the object clattered across the stone-paved ground, catching the attention of both people in the cell. She bent down and lifted up the object, and after only glancing at it for a few seconds she realized what it was—she was holding the memory gem. Neither Raphael nor Mai had picked it up when it had fallen to the floor.

She reached for the violet pouch and opened it to put the gem back inside when she caught sight of the bundle of string. It took her a moment to identify it in the dimly lit cell before she figured out what else was in the pouch. She hesitated, and then dropped the gem back inside the violet bag. Mai lifted out the necklace Eatos had given her before clearing her throat to catch Raphael's attention.

"When I was in your memories, I saw Elya," she started. Predictably, Raphael stiffened and his jaw tightened. "Valon mentioned that she'd married a good friend of his, but I didn't realize it was you she'd married."

She toyed with the necklace in her hand before offering it to Raphael. "I think this belongs to you more than it does to me," she said gently.

Raphael did not immediately process what Mai was holding and frowned, trying to see it in the dim light; he did not move or try to take it from her hand, clearly suspicious of what she was carrying in her hand. He had not forgotten what had happened the last time she had given him anything.

Mai rolled her eyes and reached for his hand, dropping the necklace into the man's palm and closing his fingers over the top of it before he could react or protest. "It won't bite, I promise," she assured him.

Raphael looked down at his hand warily, and as his eyes landed on the necklace he finally processed what it was. His jaw slackened and a stunned expression lit his features, something close to pain lighting his eyes. He looked back up at Mai, completely at a loss for words.

"Where did you…?" he began at last, his voice unusually hoarse. He trailed off, shaking his head and his jaw tightening. "She doesn't take this off, how did you…I haven't seen this since…"

Mai felt a wave of sympathy and she said quietly, "This morning your eagle gave it to me. I thought at first it was something she had found in the city and was giving to appease me—you know, because of our argument this morning."

"No," he said almost immediately, his voice sharpening. "You won't find that particular necklace in the city. You won't find it _anywhere_, for that matter. I'm the one who carved it as a gift for El—for _her._"

Mai had not missed the way Raphael's breath had hitched when he had been about to say Elya's name and her anger at Jean Claude was renewed when she realized why. "You aren't even allowed to say her name?"

The pained look he gave her in return answered her question.

"Let me guess. Saying her name implies that you're telling me something you shouldn't be, right?" she asked, her voice heavy with disgust. "Jean Claude's covering all the bases, I'll give him that."

Raphael did not say anything and looked back down at the necklace, completely lost in thought; his thumb ran over the oak pendant gently. Mai did not think he would say anything else for quite some time, but much to her surprise he stated, "Where she is you'll find another and they're both nearby, but anything I say further will alter the pressure in here."

Mai understood what he was trying to tell her. She remembered what she had seen in Raphael's memory, but she had not been aware that Jean Claude would keep them in the castle; it did make a perfect amount of sense, as being held captive in a separate location meant the greater chance of escape or rescue.

"They're both here in the castle? Are you absolutely sure about that?" she inquired.

The burly man weighed his response carefully, but when he next spoke his voice was subdued. "Remember the unspecified punishment Jean Claude gave me, shortly after you had been rescued?" Raphael asked at last.

Mai nodded slowly, suddenly not liking the direction the conversation had taken.

"In addition to making me watch Alister have a hammer brought down on his hands and arms, he activated a weaker version of the gag spell on everyone except me," he said darkly, pain and anger lining his features.

Mai stiffened, her lips thinning when she realized what he was telling her. "When you say everyone," she said slowly, dread and the beginnings of anger starting to surface, "do you mean…?"

"Everyone aside from me, Highness," he confirmed hollowly. There was no masking the brief flare of helplessness that now lit his eyes. "He had Ishtar set up some sort of viewing mirror so I could see everyone outside the dungeon, and then Jean Claude made me watch them all suffer when the spell activated. I also saw _them_, together in a room that has the flag of this kingdom on the wall. That's how I know—and to be honest, I wish I didn't."

Mai shot to her feet, suddenly furious. She was so angry that she could barely think straight. "I've seen what that gag spell can do and he activated it on…if he killed Shizuka by doing that I'll _rip him to shreds_ myself, to say nothing of what Jou will do to him!" she burst out angrily.

Shizuka was not dead, Mai recognized dimly through her anger. Jean Claude could not afford to have the sickly girl die from the spell; he would need a bargaining chip in the event that Jou returned to the castle and to keep everyone else in line. Even so, it did not stop the waves of fury that nearly blinded her—the poor girl had such a frail constitution and she did not deserve that treatment.

"Do you know where the room is?" she asked, her voice still trembling with anger. She took a steadying breath and when she spoke again her voice was calmer. "You had to have recognized _something_ about their location when you were watching them."

"I know it was in the castle," Raphael replied tiredly, shaking his head and looking visibly frustrated. "Any more I tell you will—"

"I know," she said with an impatient wave, flopping onto the bench. "I'm willing to bet he would not let any of Jou's remaining guards inside the castle because that would give them a chance to find Shizuka and Elya. He's probably kept you all in the courtyard or in the guardhouse, if I'm not much mistaken."

She cupped her chin in her hands, her frown deepening as she continued to think. Mai had been everywhere in the castle and she had seen nothing out of the ordinary. Jean Claude had shown her every room and the more she pondered on it the more she remembered his reactions. He had never been uncomfortable in showing her any part of the castle, and she had been in every part except for—

She sat up with a jolt of excitement, snapping her fingers. "The north tower."

Raphael frowned. "What?"

"Raphael, how long has the tower been under construction? Jean Claude said that there was damage inside that was being repaired, but how long ago was that started?" she asked.

The burly man's frown deepened. "I wasn't aware that the north tower was under construction to begin with, Princess."

Mai smiled in triumph, her eyes lighting up. "Jean Claude told me on my very first day to stay away from the north tower, as it was under construction. When your eagle gave me that necklace, she had come from the north tower and returned to it soon afterward."

A look of dawning comprehension lit Raphael's features and for the first time during their conversation something close to hope entered his eyes. "Then that means…"

"You said yourself that Elya wouldn't take that necklace off willingly—she must have been trying to tell you where she and Shizuka were being held, except Eatos came to me instead of you," Mai finished with a laugh. "It worked. We both know where she is, and all we have to do is tell someone where they are."

"How will you accomplish that? We're not exactly walking out of this cell anytime soon," Raphael pointed out, gesturing to his surroundings.

"Correction: _you_ won't be walking out of here. I might very well be leaving this place, if Jean Claude does what I think he's going to do. In fact, I'm afraid I already know what the answer to your question is," Mai replied grimly, tapping her temple in emphasis.

"He's going to erase your memories again," Raphael guessed.

Mai nodded unhappily. Jean Claude would not allow her to run around with her memories intact. He would instead have Ishtar take away her memories again—but if that happened Ishtar would initiate another Shadow Game and the next time around she would not be so lucky.

"I can't afford to play another Shadow Game," she muttered. She ran a hand through her hair before resting her chin in her hands.

Raphael started, his eyes widening with disbelief. "You beat a Shadow Game?" he asked, stunned. "I gained the impression that Ishtar is not entirely sane, but even so…a simple memory spell would suffice just as well as a Shadow Game."

"Tell Ishtar that," she replied wryly. "Escaping the Shadow Game was no easy feat," she added, repressing the grimace and the shudder. She had not yet forgotten the chill of the Shadows, nor had the feeling of sand been erased from her skin.

"That's why I've got to fool him," she continued, still pacing. "I've got to avoid playing that Shadow Game at all cost. I know there's other ways of erasing my memories aside from a Shadow Game—that other method is what I've got to strive for when they come."

"I don't mean to be the pessimist, but Ishtar doesn't strike me as one who can be easily fooled," said Raphael with a shake of his head.

To his surprise, Mai grinned at him. "He's not the one I need to dupe."

Raphael frowned at her, obviously confused; he soon masked this confusion, but there was still doubt in his eyes. "You have a plan?"

Mai smirked and winked. "You better believe it, buster. Jean Claude's had the advantage over me because he knew what was going on, but that was the only thing he had going for him—now he's got me as an active player in his little game and he'd better watch out."

"What do you have in mind?"

Mai shook her head, brushing back some of her hair when it fell over her shoulder. "You're better off not knowing what I'm up to. If they ask, you can answer honestly."

Mai untied the violet colored pouch from her belt and handed it to him. "Take this," she ordered. When Raphael shot her a surprised look she explained, "If my plan backfires and my memory ends up erased I'll need a way to bring it back. That's why I'm giving you the memory gem. Don't let Jean Claude find it."

Raphael took the pouch and leaned over the side of the bench, stowing it in a small crevice that was hidden from view; he also placed a loose stone over the crevice, further shielding the pouch. He then took Elya's necklace and then looped it several times around his wrist, tucking the pendant into the string so that it was hidden from view.

The sound of chains rattling nearby and a muffled shout caught Mai off guard and she started, listening intently. Was there someone else down there with them? It had not immediately occurred to her that there might be others, but it would make sense—they _were _in a dungeon, after all.

Raphael seemed to have realized what Mai was currently thinking about. "I've heard them too," he said. "I don't know who else is down here, though—they're in a different cell and I've only been here for half a day. I wouldn't be surprised if Jean Claude has others down here."

"Of course there would be other prisoners down here. That's the purpose of a dungeon, you great oaf."

They both jumped and whirled around to the opening cell door, and as it fully opened a familiar man slipped inside the cell; he was closely followed by Ishtar, who shot Mai a malevolent grin. From outside came a particularly loud clap of thunder—the full brunt of the storm was upon them.

_How appropriate,_ she thought wryly.

"Hello, my love," said Jean Claude graciously, directing his attention to Mai. "I've come to straighten a few things out in regards to what happened this evening. Are you all right?"

* * *

><p>Vivian pulled back on the reins of the horse, peering into the darkness around her anxiously. She heard thunder in the distance and she had just passed a river whose current was both dangerously high and far too fast; the black-haired woman had been lucky that the route she was taking apparently did not require crossing the river, but even so she did not want to be caught out in the coming storm.<p>

"Are you sure you even know where you're going?" she asked the horse. She was not expecting an answer, of course, but she could not help but ask. "I can't see anything here and I know Mai said not to steer you off course, but—"

The horse took off once more into the darkness without warning, starting to canter deeper into the forest. Vivian pulled back on the reins to pull the horse to a halt, walking her mount to allow it a rest; she had been riding for the better part of two hours now, and after a while Vivian had to tug back on the reins to prevent the animal from running itself to death. Whatever Mai had done to ensure the horse would take this path had been quite effective.

An anxious frown marred her face. Vivian's worry for the woman who doubled as both her friend and a princess had increased in the amount of time since she had left the castle. Was Mai all right? Was she safe? It was more than likely she had been captured by now, but would Jean Claude and the others with him hurt her? Would Jean Claude go so far as to…to…?

_Don't think like that,_ she ordered herself firmly. _Jean Claude won't hurt her. He cannot afford to bring her harm._

Jean Claude had proven before that he cared a good deal for Mai and would ensure she remained safe, even though she had discovered so much about his plans. He would not kill her—but that did not mean he was not above casting another spell on Mai or imprisoning her. What if he turned her into some hideous monster to ensure her silence?

There was a far worse alternative than that, she amended with a shudder, because Jean Claude was not the one who had magical abilities. What if _Ishtar_ was the one who cast those spells? At least Jean Claude cared enough about Mai to avoid hurting her, but that other man…

Vivian knew he was another story entirely, and while her encounter with that menace had been short-lived it was more than enough to convince her of his intentions. Who knew what that psychopath had planned for Mai?

"All right, time to ride," she muttered, and then she kicked the horse's sides. The horse started and its gait shifted from a canter into a full-blown gallop. She hunkered down and leaned forward to avoid hitting any low-hanging branches, wincing when the inside of her legs throbbed—she would definitely have saddle sores before this was over, but it was worth it if her efforts saved Mai's life.

* * *

><p>Mai folded her arms and scowled at the man across from her. "Don't 'my love' me, pal," she spat venomously. "That ship has officially sailed."<p>

"Dearest, surely we can work this out," said Jean Claude reassuringly, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. "I know my men were a little…rough, and your stay with the oaf over there was certainly not something I planned to have happen."

"A _little _rough?" Mai tapped the spot nearest to the still throbbing bruise on her face. "As far as accommodations go, I'd rather stay with Raphael than you at this point, _former _Lord Jean Claude."

Jean Claude sighed and took another step into the cell. "Ah, so you do remember everything now. Still, I don't suppose there's a chance you'll consider marrying me?"

Mai smiled at him warmly. "Jean Claude, if it was a choice between you or the plague," she began pleasantly, and though she kept the smile her voice hardened and her eyes narrowed. "I'd choose the plague."

Ishtar's eyebrows rose, visibly interested. "That can be arranged," he commented, twirling the Millennium Rod absently.

Jean Claude ran a hand through his hair, looking visibly dejected. "Aren't you even going to give me a chance?"

Mai arched an eyebrow and planted her hands on her hips. "After everything that's happened and after everything I've learned? Yeah, I don't think so."

"I suppose something of an explanation is in order, Princess. Maybe if you heard more of the story you'd sympathize with me," he replied gently. "Don't I get that much, my love?"

"Call me that one more time, Jean Claude—I dare you," she growled irritably.

Jean Claude laughed, looking more amused than intimidated. "And that's another reason I love you—you're so feisty!" he exclaimed delightedly. He turned to close the cell door behind him; from further down the hall Mai heard another muffled yell of both anger and protest, and again she had to wonder who else was in the dungeon.

"Now, I'll give you that explanation you're clearly wanting. After that fiasco at the jousting tournament, your father stripped me of my lordship title," Jean Claude began. "As you know, in Thystia you are able to buy your way into nobility unless it's one of the royal families, but those titles can still be stripped away.

"You can believe that I was ruined. My lands and most of my gold were taken from me, and I could hardly buy my way back into having a title. I'd lost everything because one idiotic boy did not fall from his mount and by sheer dumb luck defeated me."

Mai bristled, her lips thinning and eyes narrowing at Jean Claude's words. _You weren't the one who faced him, you coward._

"As you can imagine, I was left in a tough spot," he continued. "I was going to lose my one chance to rise up in the world, to become a prince—not to mention marrying a beautiful woman in the process. I wouldn't stand for it. I vowed I would get what was mine, no matter what.

"In the aftermath of the jousting tournament I sequestered myself in a small little cottage, ironing out details of my plan. It's not easy taking over an entire castle, you know, and my plan had quite a few holes in it. I had to figure out how to get Jousef out of the picture, then there was the matter of the steward and of what to do when you went to visit…and that wasn't even the half of it! Needless to say, I was at my wit's end and at a loss of what to do.

"Then one night, a very interesting man graced my doorstep. He was well versed in magic and had with him the answer to my conundrum—a curious but powerful little gem called orichalcum."

Mai straightened up, her arms dropping to her sides. "Dartz," she said, frowning at Jean Claude. "The man that's helping you is Dartz, isn't it?"

Jean Claude looked surprised. "You know him?"

"Met him once, heard of him more than once. Let me go ahead and take the reins for a moment, because I think I know where this is going," she said grimly. "He offered you magic, orichalcum, and Ishtar's assistance, provided you met his price. You told me banished the magic users because they were in league with Tristan's supposed plot, but I'm willing to be that isn't the case."

Jean Claude looked pleased. "You'd be right. Smart and beautiful…I knew I made a right choice when I decided to pursue your hand in marriage," he said brightly. "Yes, Dartz and I made an accord. When I married you I would give all the magic users in this kingdom to him. My plan was going marvelously, however, and that was why I sent off the magic users early.

"Princess Mai, we both stand to gain from this. No one in this kingdom knows who the real prince is and it's the perfect opportunity for the both of us. I marry the woman I love, you gain a kingdom of your own, and we live happily ever after," Jean Claude explained. "Don't you see? It's a perfect arrangement. Jousef was only an inexperienced boy, he couldn't handle a kingdom and certainly not a beautiful and classy woman like you…why, if you knew the half of what was happening here before I arrived you wouldn't even _consider_—"

Mai crossed the room in three swift strides and without preamble she slapped Jean Claude in the face. Her palm stung and throbbed, but she was too angry to care. "What Jou deserves is _not_ for you to decide!" she snarled.

Jean Claude staggered backward, staring at Mai with an incredulous expression. Raphael, though startled, looked visibly impressed; Ishtar's eyes lit with amusement and he grinned, looking almost as if he wanted to laugh.

"Jousef might only be a boy, but he's more of a man than you are!" she said hotly. "I care little for men who can't fight their own battles, who hide behind those who are more powerful and then claim to be brave—who can't even _joust _without relying on others or cheating! Jou's proven that he's more of a man than you can ever hope to be!"

"But—"

Mai gestured to Raphael, her voice rising and trembling in anger. "I also hold no regard for those who bully others, who harm women and sick children! You didn't think I wouldn't find out about what you did to Raphael's wife? To the guards of the castle? To _Shizuka_? If you thought I wouldn't ask or care, that just proves my point! You're nothing but a bully and a _coward_, Jean Claude, and I will _never_ marry you!"

Ishtar chuckled, tucking the Millennium Rod into the crook of his arm before clapping. He did not seem upset by Mai's words. "It seems that the woman won't listen to reason. I suggest that we implement my method now."

Jean Claude sighed. "Very well," he said heavily, shooting Mai an apologetic look. "I had hoped it would not come to this, but I can't afford for you to keep your memories. I'm going to have to erase all your memories of your time here—I can't take any chances of you remembering your suspicions," he added when Mai glowered at him, "and once your memories have been erased you'll accept my marriage proposal and we'll be married."

"Lucky me," she spat, glaring at him.

Ishtar stepped forward, brandishing the Millennium Rod and looking almost delighted. "Finally, I get to do things my way," he announced. He smirked at Mai and the woman felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. "I'm going to enjoy this."

Mai stiffened when she realized what Ishtar was implying. It was time to put her plan into action.

She scoffed derisively, folding her arms and hiding her fear. "Oh please. You think I'm afraid of a dog whose bark is worse than his bite? What's wrong, upset I called you for what you are?" she continued, watching Ishtar's face darken murderously. "You're stronger than anyone in this room, yet you serve under the coward in the corner? That's exactly what a dog does, so I'm not surprised."

Ishtar gained a chilling, feral smile; this smile did not travel into his eyes, though a savage light now lit them. "If you believe me to be a dog with only a bark," he replied, his grin stretching insanely across his face to show his teeth, "you have yet to see my fangs."

Mai threw her hands in the air, trying desperately not to let him see how frightened she was at this point. Provoking Ishtar was definitely not among her smarter ideas, but so far her plan was working. "Go ahead, then. Show me your so-called fangs—I beat your Shadow Game once and I can do it again!" she said confidently, smirking at him.

Ishtar's smile stretched even further and he lifted the Rod. "Wish granted."

Even as the Rod began to glow, however, Jean Claude slapped the item down, nearly knocking it from Ishtar's grip. "_A_ _Shadow Game?_ That was what you did to her?" he said angrily.

Ishtar's eyes flashed. "Touch the Rod again and you'll lose your hand."

"You told me that you wiped her memory with a simple spell!" Jean Claude snarled. "You mean to tell me you nearly turned her into a Shadow?"

"Oh Jean Claude, didn't you know that?" Mai asked mockingly. "I thought you were in charge of everything here."

Jean Claude ignored her, though his jaw tightened as he glowered at Ishtar. Raphael caught her eye and mouthed _what are you doing? _

She smirked, waiting until both Ishtar and Jean Claude were not looking at her before winking at Raphael.

Mai was not slow on her feet. Since she had regained her memories the plan she had made was working, but the trickiest part of her plan had yet to come. If what she had planned did not work she would be left at a huge disadvantage—her memories would be gone and that something she simply could not afford.

"My deal with Dartz is that I marry Mai and he gets the magic users! I can't marry a _Shadow!"_ snapped Jean Claude. "You cast a simple memory spell on her lady-in-waiting and on her parents and I want the same done to Mai! You know her name—something you said you would need to cast the memory spell on the others! No more of this Shadow Game nonsense, Ishtar!"

"A memory spell can be broken much easier than any spell cast with Shadow magic," he replied. "But you're _clearly_ right. I have her name, after all, and you are so desperate to ignore my warning. Who am I to blow against the wind?" he asked sarcastically.

Without any warning he lifted the Millennium Rod to a point directly between Mai's eyes and after a few seconds pause he said shortly, "_Memoriam obscurum."_

Mai had no time to brace herself and the room spun wildly. A hot spike of pain lit behind her temples and she could not stop the wave of darkness that was rolling over her. As she fell, however, one last thought crossed her mind.

_I really hope…that this works…_

* * *

><p>Mai crumpled soundlessly, unconscious before she even hit the floor. Jean Claude started forward out of concern, taking her wrist and feeling for a pulse; the relief lit his face when he found one and he whirled on Ishtar. "What did you do?"<p>

"What you told me to," retorted Ishtar, looking perfectly at ease. "I didn't kill her. It's a complex and powerful spell you asked for me to do and there is always a different reaction to it. Everything after the dragon carried her away has been forgotten. It's as if she is a blank slate."

Jean Claude rose to his feet, looking distracted. "Yes, yes, I suppose…all right, then, Ishtar. You did a good job," he stated, and then he leaned out of the cell to call forth some guards. When two other men came into the room he said, "Take her back to her quarters. I'll be up shortly."

One man bent down and scooped Mai's limp body into his arms, and after giving a short bow to the man left the cell; the other man bowed as well and followed after his companion, but he noticeably skirted around Ishtar (whose face was lined with suppressed fury).

Jean Claude then turned to Raphael, raising his eyebrows at the taller man. "Oh, and don't think I forgot about you," he declared. "Princess Mai knew about Princess Shizuka and your charming wife, and I know I certainly did not tell her anything about it."

Ishtar seemed interested by this turn in the conversation, and for the briefest of moments his eyes went to an area of the wall nearest Raphael; the burly man noticed where Ishtar was looking and subtly moved in front of the area.

"She already knew of it when she was talking to me," Raphael said tightly, suddenly tense. "If I had said anything you would have found out about it."

"Even so, Raphael, Ishtar told me about your little lapse in judgment in the stables," said Jean Claude. "You warned her about me. That little decision was certainly was not cooperating with me, as we discussed when I first arrived. I'm going to have to address that."

He tapped his chin thoughtfully and looked over at Raphael. "Let's see…I could have that Aurosian boy brought up here to answer for his activities with the thieves…perhaps have the boy flogged? Yes, that seems reasonable," Jean Claude mused."Or maybe I should allow Ishtar to have free reign over your wife? Maybe I should have him erase _all_ of her memories and have her marry one of my men…Gurimo has certainly been searching for a wife, after all."

Raphael completely stiffened, his face paling. Fury and helplessness blazed white hot in his eyes and his fists clenched tightly at his sides.

"Perhaps I should do something to Alister…oh wait, I already had him executed, didn't I?" Jean Claude declared with a laugh. "I should really ask Gurimo how that went, as I'm willing to bet you're _dying_ to hear the details of—"

The punch Raphael threw was hard enough to force Jean Claude backward and he staggered, clutching his newly bleeding nose. Ishtar looked far too amused by this latest turn of events and lazily waved the Millennium Rod.

Raphael was thrown to the other side of the dungeon, hitting the wall hard enough to drive the breath from his lungs. Another casual wave of the Rod made chains come from the wall, fastening around Raphael's wrists and pulling them over his head; Ishtar murmured something under his breath and a sackcloth hood dropped over the top of his head. Raphael recovered and struggled against the chains furiously, his voice muffled by the hood, but he was unable to free himself

Jean Claude straightened up and glared at the Enterran. "You knew he was going to do that and you didn't stop him?"

"I felt you deserved it," Ishtar said pleasantly, inspecting the golden rod in his hand.

Jean Claude glowered at him and then scowled at Raphael. "This isn't over. I'll make you pay for that punch, you great oaf—and I do believe I'm going to take it out on both the Aurosian and your wife. Come, Ishtar," announced the other man, stepping out of the cell. "I have a princess to propose to."

Ishtar grinned as Raphael slumped, all the fight leaving him as he clearly started to despair. He twirled the Rod again and stepped out of the cell, closing the door behind him as he followed after Jean Claude.

Ishtar absolutely loved the power that wielding a Shadow item gave him—not only did he manage to ruin the captain's life even further by forcing him to strike Jean Claude, he was also able to punch Jean Claude in the face without having to lift a finger.

"All in a day's work," he chuckled.

* * *

><p>"She should be awake by now," Jean Claude fretted to himself, pacing Mai's bedroom anxiously. "Why isn't she awake?"<p>

Ishtar had assured him that Mai's unconscious state was only temporary and that she would soon revive, but that had been ten minutes ago and he was getting impatient. He never should have agreed to have Ishtar work with him; if Dartz had not been so adamant about having him around to deal with potential threats Jean Claude would gladly send the man back to Dartz.

During the time that Mai had been unconscious Jean Claude had planned his next move. By now he had discovered Vivian was gone, but he had decided this was to his advantage; he could easily pass Vivian off as a trouble-making servant, especially now that Mai did not remember anything past being taken away by the dragon. The state of her memory was just as it was on the first day of her visit, according to Ishtar.

It was convenient, in a way. There was no way to hide the bruise on her face, nor had there been anything that could be done for Jean Claude's swollen nose. He would blame these injuries on his "victorious battle" with the dragon—after all, it was not as if she could contradict him.

Mai stirred, shifting with a soft moan. Jean Claude brightened and crossed the room. "Oh thank Heaven," he said gently, sitting on the edge of the mattress and taking her hand. "I was so worried about you."

"…Jean Claude…?" Mai stared blankly at him for a few moments before she sat up, grimacing and holding her head. She did not pull her hand away from his and Jean Claude inwardly smiled. "Wha…where am I?"

He pulled her into a hug. "Back at the castle. I rescued you only hours ago from that vicious brute of a dragon," he said firmly. "I was so worried for you, my love, but you're awake now and that's all that matters."

Mai remained silent for a few moments before hugging him back. "I was so frightened when it took me away," she murmured into his shoulder. "I was so scared when it attacked, but I think I must have hit my head…I can't remember anything about the attack."

"Never fear, dearest," he said soothingly. "Some things are best forgotten and the only thing that matters is that I saved you."

Mai pulled away, her eyes lighting in surprise. "You did?"

"Of course, dearest." Jean Claude shifted so that he was facing him and took her hands in his. "I'm afraid I don't know where your lady-in-waiting is, but I shall see to your every need myself."

The woman hesitated, then smiled warmly at him. "Thank you, Jean Claude," she said kindly, wincing with a small laugh. "I must have hit my face earlier. It feels swollen—and you poor thing, your nose is swollen," she added with some concern.

Jean Claude laughed. "I'll be all right, my love," he replied. He paused, then slid off the mattress to kneel at her feet. "Dearest Mai, I asked you a question when you first came to the castle."

Mai frowned before her expression cleared. "You wanted me to marry you, I believe," she said slowly. "At the time I said I wanted to wait and see."

Jean Claude nodded eagerly. "I hate to push, but I need an answer from you now. I've shown you the castle, and you can see for yourself that I can provide for you—and I've saved your life. I even proposed to you on our way back here and while you don't seem to remember it now you did say yes."

When Mai looked conflicted he said, "I can give you a life of luxury and you'll never have to worry about going hungry or knowing want. It's something I know you've always wanted. So please…will you marry me?"

Mai remained silent for a few moments, her expression guarded and revealing nothing of her thoughts; he knew it would take her time to process everything he had told her. She was still disoriented from the spell, which was why Jean Claude was asking her to marry him now—Mai would more than likely say no if he asked her later.

Even though he had the advantage of knowing this piece of information, however, it was all Jean Claude could do not to beg her for an answer. He was lucky that he had such a talent for acting.

Finally, just as he was about to say something to break the silence, Mai looked back up at him. Her voice was hesitant and slow, but she gave Jean Claude her answer:

"Yes."


	28. Rescue from the River

_So this chapter is a bit overdue. Oops._

_I had a lot happen over the past couple months and I also had a few issues with setting plot advancement up in this chapter, so I apologize for my prolonged absence. It's a little longer than normal to make up for it, haha, and with this chapter the fic has just broken the 200K word count. _

_Also, a little reminder: because this is AU and set in what's basically a medieval era, things we would recognize to do in certain situations are not always known about. That will make sense, I promise._

_A huge thank you to everyone still following this story and who are leaving feedback, including all you anonymous reviewers! Your reviews make me smile when I get them, so I thank you for the continued support!_

* * *

><p>The storm had hit the castle first and the only part of it that reached the forest was the sound of thunder, but closer towards dawn the dark clouds had finally made their way over the trees; the full fury of the thunderstorm had been unleashed on the castle and the city surrounding it, but even so there had still been quite a bit of power left in the storm and older trees had been felled in the woods. The river that ran from just outside of Hermos, swollen with rain water and cluttered with debris, was heavily flooded and only became more so when it joined with its sister branch in the forest.<p>

As a result of the storm there was a chill in the morning air. Mist was still rising from the ground and the morning was gray and overcast; barely anything moved in the woods, but every color seemed to be far more vibrant in the subdued light of the morning. A light drizzle was falling, the water coming down in a gentle and cool mist, and the sound of the flooded river was almost too loud in the silent forest.

It was this kind of weather Marik despised the most.

He shifted the sticks in his arms to a more comfortable position, shivering in the cold morning air; the waist-baring, sleeveless top he was wearing did little to warm him. It was times like this that he wished he still had his cloak, but as one of Kaiba's dragons had ensured its destruction when it had attacked one of their camps Marik had to make do without it.

He had elected to go find some dry firewood for Téa. Bakura did not prefer doing menial labor and Yami was sleeping for a change; he did not necessarily need the rest, but as he was acting through a physical body that was not his own Yami had to sleep. With Ryou gone it left himself and Jou behind to assist Téa. Valon was still avoiding the camp and Jou was confined to the clearing where the lair was located.

Marik's face darkened at the thought of the Aurosian. Valon had been almost unbearably angry for weeks now; it had gotten to the point that the boy would not even speak to anyone at all, instead glowering at those who approached him before storming away. While Marik was grateful that Valon had stopped lashing out at everyone—both physically and verbally—this newer, sullen Valon was no less easy to deal with.

He suspected Valon was angry largely because of what Jou had done to Mai, but that had been some time ago. This had not been the first time Valon had been angry over an incident involving the woman and he always had bounced back before. The fact the other young man was still angry was telling him that something else was wrong.

Marik made a face. Of course, if Valon had been harboring more than just a simple crush for the princess, it might be the entire reason he was angry—and as very few of them expressed concern for Mai's welfare it would likely be a sore point for the Aurosian.

He turned back, making his way to the clearing where the lair was. It took him more than five minutes to return, and when he pushed his way through the bushes surrounding the clearing it was to find Téa stoking a steadily growing fire; sitting on the ground beside her was a bundle of what Marik assumed was food. The young woman was shooting uncomfortable looks at the foot of the tree across from her.

Marik followed Téa's gaze and he raised an eyebrow when he caught sight of the creature sitting at the base of the tree. It looked like a woman, though it had blue skin and its eyes were entirely black with only the barest hint of light in the empty gaze; in the woman's arms was a beaten up wooden doll. He knew what the appearance of the creature meant. "I take it Bakura's actually resting for a change?"

"He is," came Téa's reply. "I really wish he wouldn't use Necrofear to guard the Ring. It's not like anyone's going to steal it from him while he sleeps."

Marik smiled but did not reply; his initial reaction to seeing the creature years before mirrored Téa's. He dipped his head at the creature—Necrofear—before crossing the clearing and stopping near the fire. "It's hard to find anything dry, Téa," he announced, dropping the wood in a pile a few feet from the woman. "The storm soaked everything."

"I was afraid of that," she replied, returning her attention to the fire. "Good thing I thought to store the firewood out of the rain. I'll make breakfast for the others first, and then I'll get you something that doesn't have meat in it."

"Thanks, Téa," said Marik gratefully, sitting himself in front of the fire. He leaned in as close as he could, trying to warm his chilled hands; Téa spotted the Enterran's suppressed shivers and reached for a blanket, putting it around Marik's shoulders.

"It won't do us any good if you get sick. I wish you'd wear another shirt—one that has sleeves," she chided, plucking at Marik's shirt. "Colds are hard to get rid of, you know."

Marik heard a low rumble from behind him and he turned, his eyes going to where the dragon was now watching the two humans in the clearing. "Hey Jou," he greeted. "Sleep well?"

The dragon did not reply, instead lowering his head and allowing his breath to escape in a small, miserable huff; aside from readjusting his body into a more comfortable position he did not move any further.

Jou had been mostly lethargic, staying in the clearing ever since he had gone to the castle days before to talk to Mai. Marik and Téa had both tried coaxing Jou out of the miserable mood he was in, but with little success; even Yami of all people offered some solace to the dragon, staying near Jou and conversing quietly with the beast at times.

Marik wanted to be skeptical about Jou's side of the story. He could still remember the absolute panic that lit the dragon's eyes when he had snapped out of whatever mental state he had been in, but Marik also remembered the pain from the four cracked ribs Jou had given him. He was not the only one who had been wary around the other man since that night, in spite of Téa's reassurance that Jou would not hurt anyone.

Yami and Téa both believed Jou without question, while Valon clearly did not; Bakura did not care either way and Marik had no idea what Ryou thought of the matter, while the members of Téa's troupe did. Marik would have been with Valon and would not have believed Jou at all, except…

"I'll see about finding some more dry firewood," he announced, getting to his feet. He slipped the blanket off his shoulders and folded it neatly, handing it to Téa. He hesitated, and then added gruffly, "Give Jou a portion of whatever you're making. Try to get him to eat if you can—it's not much, admittedly, but it's better than nothing."

The young woman nodded and looked back to the fire. She paused, looking at a point outside the clearing. "Be careful, Marik, especially if you're going to the river," Téa said, peering into the forest. "I can hear it from here."

Marik nodded curtly and then slipped back into the forest without another word. Téa watched him leave uneasily, reaching for another log to add to the growing fire. In a few minutes the fire would be hot enough to start cooking with.

Téa's gaze shifted past Necrofear, to where she could see Yami's slumbering body, and her eyes softened. Lately Yami had been attempting to cast spells using regular magic and his efforts were exhausting him, though he would never admit it. Yami was only capable of wielding Shadow magic at the moment, so any progress with normal magic meant that Yugi's magical core was one step closer to recovery—and it also meant that Yugi was recovering as well.

With any luck Yugi would soon be able to regain control of his body; Yami had been trying to communicate with the wizard for weeks, and while Yugi had still to answer the Enterran spirit had been pleased to note that there were more stirrings at the back of his mind.

Yami had also been acting strangely the past two days. First had been that business with Ryou (and she still was not certain where the white-haired man had gone), and then there had been last night; the Millennium Puzzle had flashed bright enough to light the clearing over the fire, but aside from a suddenly triumphant smirk Yami had not told them why the Puzzle had lit up.

Her eyes went back to Necrofear and she repressed a grimace. "Do you…er…do you need to eat?" she asked uncertainly. _Probably not, _she added silently.

Necrofear did not move, though the doll's blank eyes rattled in their sockets before locking onto Téa. The doll's jaw opened and its wooden limbs briefly clattered, but beyond that there was no reply from the creature.

Téa flinched and went back to tending the fire. Hopefully Bakura or Yami would wake soon—she was getting sick of being stared at with two pairs of unflinching eyes.

Jou rumbled and rose stiffly to his feet, lumbering only a few steps forward to place himself between Téa and Necrofear. There was no mistaking his own unease being so close to the silent guardian of the Ring, but even so he curled up once more just behind Téa and closed his eyes, acting as a screen between the two women.

Téa looked up at him and smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Jou."

One of Jou's red eyes opened half-heartedly and the dragon's lips lifted in a pitiful attempt to smile.

Téa hesitated before she rose to her feet and padded her way to Jou's side, stopping at the side of his face before resting a gentle hand on the dragon's cheek. Even in the cold morning heat radiated through the scales. "You know," she said softly, "Mai's only afraid right now. Give her time, Jou—she struck me as a sensible woman. Once she calms down and realizes there's more to what happened that night, she'll find a way to talk to you again. Don't give up on her."

The dragon stiffened under her hand and Jou jerked his head away. His tail rose and moved between Téa and his face and he let out a miserable, angry growl.

"Moping isn't going to help you, Jou!" she snapped, rising to her feet. "If you're so upset over this, then go get her and make her listen! Didn't you kidnap her once already?"

There was no reply and Téa sighed, stalking back to the fire and jabbing a stick viciously in the embers. The flames rose and flared to life, and as Téa added more wood to it the fire grew.

"And they think _women_ are the complicated ones?" she muttered.

* * *

><p>Marik frowned at the sight of the river, which had risen over its banks and was surging forward; he could see trees, wagons, and parts of houses in the frothing waters. No doubt that most of the debris had come from the area around Hermos—this part of the river was a junction, where the river running nearby Hermos joined with the one that cut through the forest.<p>

He had gone downstream, past the small, peaceful area where Jou had fought the White Dragon weeks before (and even that area was flooded, though not as severely as what he was seeing now). Marik had hoped to cross the river to try and find more dry kindling, but as there was no safe way to ford the river at the moment he was not about to risk his life for a warmer fire.

"Doesn' tha' jus' beat all?"

Marik jumped and turned, watching as the bushes parted and Valon pushed his way into view. He was running a hand through his soaked hair (which still had managed to defy gravity) and he was eyeing the river with a tired smile. "I was goin' t' try and get t' the other side. Got a small little 'ouse somewhere over there tha's out of this weather 'n' I was 'opin' to dry off there. I'd go to another, but…well, too far."

Valon's voice had caught when he had referred to "another" and Marik knew why—the only other houses he could go to, aside from the currently unavailable Turtle Shop, was either Raphael's or Alister's home.

"So why don't you?" he asked. "I don't think either of them will entirely care."

He saw it then. Valon's tired but relaxed nature vanished entirely and the Aurosian's eyes significantly darkened, an angry scowl starting to mar his features. "You're righ'. They don'."

Marik raised his eyebrow at the change in behavior. "And you're starting up with that 'I'm angry at the world' routine. Sorry, but I'm not in the mood for it."

"You'd know all about tha' routine, Marik. I bet you 'n' Jou compared notes," he retorted angrily.

Marik's face darkened and his eyes narrowed, but he did not say anything; though he desperately wanted to, Valon was the type of person who needed little provocation to start throwing punches and right now speaking would only result in a pointless fist fight that would only hurt his still-healing ribs. He instead turned on his heel and started back the way he had come.

Valon laughed, the bitter sound cutting through the silent forest. "You're leavin'?" he asked. "Great, go ahead. Join the rest of the stupid club, mate—everyone's leavin', aren' they? They're all 'avin' a grand ol' time, so why don' you join 'em?"

Marik stopped bristling, looking over his shoulder with a confused frown. "What are you babbling about?" he asked incredulously. "Join who?"

"Whoever else feels like screwin' up my life at the moment," came the angry reply.

"This has something to do with Jou, doesn't it?" Marik guessed. "He's already beating himself up over what happened with Mai, he doesn't need you adding onto it. Just because you have some crush on Mai doesn't mean you can blame Jou for whatever you're angry at."

"So you're on 'is side now?"

"I'm on no one's side! Come on, Valon, even you saw it that night—either he's a very good actor or something genuinely happened," Marik snapped furiously. "I can't deny there's plausibility behind Jou's claims! I can't just dismiss it!"

"Yeah, but 'e still attacked Mai! 'e prob'ly did it on purpose—'e's got those 'eightened senses, 'e probably 'eard them comin' 'n' attacked Mai t' get 'er to run 'cause 'e knew—'e _knew_ they were there! It was probably payback f'r something I did, but if tha's the reason then tha's stupid!"

Marik looked at Valon, no longer trying to mask his confusion or his disbelief. "Who are you even referring to?"

But even as he spoke he suddenly realized who Valon was talking about and his anger abruptly vanished. In a painful flash of understanding Marik grasped the real reason behind Valon's surly attitude.

"That night, Raphael and Alister…they were in the forest, weren't they?" he guessed quietly.

Valon's head snapped back up to him, and once again he saw the same furious, wounded expression he had seen that night. "Yeah. Yeah, they were there," he said, his voice darkening. "But I don' care. They bloody ignored me ever since they left, no letters 'n' no contact f'r three months, 'n' then they got Yugi and Adias t' lie to me about them bein' back. If they don' want anythin' t' do with me, then fine. I don' want anythin' t' do with them."

The Enterran sighed, planting his hands on his hips. "Now I get it. I should have seen the signs faster. I was in your shoes once, you know," he added with a bitter laugh. "You're not just angry because you thought everyone lied to you about your friends. You're also angry because you were the one who possibly got your friends into trouble."

The Aurosian paled, his arms slackening and dropping to his sides as the glower faded from his features. "'ow did you…?"

Marik looked up into the sky, the familiar ache rising in his chest as he spoke. "Because your friends did the same thing my brother and sister did for me years ago. I was the one who put them in danger to begin with, and yet they gave up everything to protect me.

"You had the exact same thing happen with you and your friends. You didn't want to be the reason your friends got hurt or killed, and you're both angry and miserable. You're also upset because Mai got hurt and you really liked her, if your attitude is any indication of it. You're taking those emotions out on everyone around you because you don't know what else to do—and you're targeting Jou with your anger because his actions ultimately led you to your friends. Am I wrong?"

There was a very long, uncomfortable silence. Marik did not look away from the clouds overhead, watching the birds that were flying high overhead.

"I was mad at Raph and Alister at first." Valon's accent had thickened and all the anger in his voice he had died. "I mean, most o' the other forest folk came back months ago, but Raph 'n' Alister weren' with 'em. I 'aven' 'eard from them f'r so long and I don' know wha's goin' on up at the castle, and it isn't 'elpin' tha' I kept 'earin' about all those rumors about rebellion up there. I even sent a letter two months back tellin' 'em I was comin' up there.

"'Stay where you are.' Tha's what Raph sent back as a reply and tha's all he said, so I trusted 'im 'n' didn' leave. But then I got nothin' else from 'em no matter wha' I sent, and when I bumped into those guards the first time I thought the fellas were there. When I asked, though, everyone said that Raph 'n' Alister weren' 'ere at all. Yet who is it I bump into tha' night?

"…I didn'…I didn' ask 'em t' protect me. I didn' want them t' die f'r me. If I 'adn' gone after Mai, if I 'ad jus' paid attention t' the surroundings…the fellas wouldn'…they…"

"You couldn't have known Raphael and Alister were going to be at that exact spot," Marik responded quietly. "I don't know how the prince figured out where to go or even how he would know where Mai was going to be, but you can't hold yourself responsible for something you couldn't have prevented. I figure your friends would probably tell you the same thing."

Valon leaned back against a tree, but he straightened with a grimace when the soaked bark brushed against his shirt. He sighed as he hooked his thumbs in his in his belt and then he too looked to the sky. "I've been actin' like a prat, 'aven' I?"

Marik chuckled as he looked back down. "At least you can be thankful that all you did was beat up on a dragon and yell at everyone. Ask Yugi sometime about our first meeting. Because of what I did then, Yami _still_ doesn't like me and only tolerates me because of Yugi."

Valon gave a weak laugh as well as his eyes went to a spot beyond the river, but the smile did not reach his eyes and he kicked a nearby stone into the river. "So…d'you really think Jou's story 'as merit to it? I still don' believe 'e didn' know wha' 'e was doin', 'n' it's not b'cause I'm still mad at 'im."

Marik's eyebrows arched. "You're really asking _me_ that question?"

The other young man winced. "Sorry."

"Though the circumstances were different, the events played out the same," Marik began, frowning. "Both of us unwillingly attacked someone, both of us came back to ourselves covered in blood that did not belong to us, and both of us can't recall the attack. What happened to me in the catacombs happened to Jou weeks ago, and that's why I can't dismiss what Jou says."

Valon was about to reply when they both heard the sound of bushes rustling and he paused, throwing out an arm to stop the Aurosian. Was it a predator of some sort? It couldn't be, since he could still hear the animals in the forest around him; if a dangerous animal was nearby the woods would have gone silent. What _was_ it, then?

Something huge tore through the bushes in front of them, rearing up on its hind legs at the sight of the two humans in its path. Marik's first impression was that this animal was a bear and he backed away, but Valon pushed past him and leapt, catching the flying leather reins.

"'ey, fella, whoa!" he grunted, pulling down hard to pull the animal back to all fours. Though the animal still danced nervously it noticeably calmed at the sound of Valon's voice. "Grarl, take it easy, i's me!"

"Grarl?" Marik edged forward cautiously. Now that the animal had been subdued he realized that it was a large, dark brown draft horse. Its sides were slicked with sweat, mud, and rain, and the horse's brown eyes were wide with panic. He took a step closer, taking in the empty saddle, the leaves and sticks caught in the tail and mane, and the horse's skittish behavior.

"Yeah," Valon replied, pulling sharply on the horse's reins again when it tried to start forward. "'e's Raph's horse. 've never seen 'im so spooked b'fore, though…Grarl, mate, you're not goin' anywhere so stop it already!" he growled when Grarl continued to fight against him. "Wha' the devil's the matter with you, you silly horse?"

Marik felt something close to unease starting to rise in his stomach. "Valon, if this is Raphael's horse, then where's his rider?"

Valon paused at that, turning to look at Marik with an alarmed look before he started scanning the surrounding forest. "Raph?" he called. Getting no reply, he cleared his throat and with a raised voice called out, "Raph, mate, where are you? We've got Grarl 'ere, so come on out!"

"Maybe Grarl threw him off?" Marik suggested, also starting to look.

The brown-haired teenager shook his head, struggling to keep a grip on the still-fighting horse. "Not a chance. Grarl rarely bucks a rider and if it's Raph on board Grarl wouldn' toss 'im off at all," he responded. "I don' get it. 'e keeps tuggin' me t' the river."

"If he wants to swim it's the wrong time to try," Marik said flatly, glancing at the river. "Even such a strong horse would get swept away in this current."

Something in the water caught his eye and he paused, squinting through the mist still rising from the grass. He nearly missed it at first, but then he caught sight of the dark red, almost magenta splash of color that stood out against the brown in the river and the grays of the sky. He took a step forward, his unease growing into full-blown alarm when he realized what he was looking at.

"Valon," he said hoarsely. He cleared his throat and he repeated the Aurosian's name with a sharper voice. "_Valon._"

The other boy turned to Marik with a worried frown. "Wha's with that voice?" he asked, his gaze going past Marik and to the river. Seconds later all the color drained from his features and his grip went slack, the reins falling from limp fingers before he strode forward.

Marik realized what Valon was about to do and seized his friend's arm before the Aurosian nearly dove into the river. "Valon, don't! You'll drown if you try that—!"

But Valon was not listening, fighting against Marik. He succeeded in breaking free and before the Enterran could stop him he made his way to the river's edge. Just before Valon leapt into the storm-tossed water his voice broke the silence of the morning with a horrified, anguished yell:

"_ALISTER!"_

* * *

><p>Jou's head snapped up, startling Téa as she passed by. The dragon's head swiveled sharply in the direction Marik had gone earlier that morning. A low growl rumbled in his throat, catching Yami's attention; the Enterran spirit had woken up minutes before and was perusing a book he had brought back with him weeks before.<p>

"I do not think that cry should go unanswered," he remarked casually. "Go."

Téadid not have time to ask, for even as she was about to open her mouth the dragon lurched to his feet and with one spring took to the air, disappearing over the tops of the trees and flying out of sight.

"Jou! Jou, wait a minute, come back!" she called sharply, but Yami caught her arm and gently tugged her back.

"Let him go, Téa," he said with a small smile. "He is needed elsewhere. We have our own errand to run, however, and I will need your help."

He glanced over at Necrofear. "Oh, and Bakura? I know you're listening. Just a few moments ago the door to the Shadow path I created opened—Ryou has returned to this part of the forest."

Necrofear vanished in a small explosion of shadows, the darkness pooling underneath the Millennium Ring and reforming into another human shape. Moments later Bakura appeared, glowering at Yami. "Keep what I said in mind. King or not, if Ryou has been harmed I _will_ exact punishment."

Yami did not look bothered, however, and instead smiled cordially. "Ah, but you would know it if he was injured."

Bakura scowled at him, but Yami was already turning on his heel and he gestured vaguely to the left. "Ryou is somewhere in that direction. You had best hurry, before our enemy discovers us."

"_Your_ enemy, not mine. He didn't attack me that night," retorted Bakura, but nonetheless he pushed his way through the bushes in the direction Yami had indicated.

The former king watched the thief leave before turning to Téa, reaching for her hand. "Come. As mentioned earlier, there is a place we need to go."

Téa followed after the shorter man with a half-worried, half curious expression. "Where are we going?"

Yami smiled at her. "The Turtle Shop. I had to hide it from view of others, but it is still in the same place as it was before. In order to gain entry inside, however, you need one who can manipulate Shadows."

"But what do we need from the shop?" she asked, quickening her pace to catch up with Yami. "I thought you took everything you would need from it when those guards came."

Yami chuckled. "Ah, but I forgot one thing and it is something only you, Yugi, and his grandfather are familiar with. As I cannot access Yugi's memories at the moment and his grandfather is no longer here, I am relying on you."

Téa shot him a doubting expression. "Okay…but what are we looking for?"

Yami waved his hand and a small, oval shaped mirror formed from shadows abruptly materialized—another Shadow path, she realized. He turned to her with a small, mysterious smile.

"I need to find a children's story book," he announced pleasantly.

* * *

><p>Marik urged Grarl into a gallop, following after the bobbing head of the Aurosian in the river. "Valon, you stupid fool!" he snarled. The Enterran had been forced to climb on Grarl to keep up with the river, but judging by the speed of the horse it was evident the animal was tiring.<p>

Valon, meanwhile, was focused only on getting to where he could see Alister. More than once he was forced underwater and it was hard to catch his breath, and his perilous journey was not helped at all by the debris that smacked into him and threatened to drown him. Every few seconds he could make out Grarl and Marik on the riverbank as they fought to catch up.

Just as he managed to grab onto the log Alister was draped over the other man started to slip into the water, nearly vanishing from view. Valon lunged across the log and grabbed the sleeve of Alister's shirt, yanking him back over the log and slinging an arm over Alister's back to keep him out of the water.

"I gotcha, mate!" he panted, still trying to catch his breath. "Jus' 'old on!"

Alister did not reply. Valon could not even tell if the older man was breathing, and his friend was far paler than normal; it also did not help that Alister had been a virtual ragdoll when Valon had been moving him. "Alister?" he asked, shaking the older man's shoulder. Was he…was Alister…?

No, Valon thought with a vicious shake of the head. He would not believe such a thing! Alister was stronger than that and he would be fine once they got back to the riverbanks.

He gasped sharply as the log suddenly slammed into a collection of debris, snapping almost cleanly in half. Valon sprang into the water as Alister dropped into the waves, and he managed to loop one of his arms around Alister's chest before they both vanished underwater.

Marik cursed when he saw the other two men disappear from view and he pulled back on the reins. His eyes roamed over the river, landing on a less than turbulent area. He had no idea how deep it was, but he could see debris gathering there and the pile was acting as a partial dam—he could try to intercept Valon and Alister at that point. With any luck the Aurosian would resurface and Marik would be able to see them both.

"All right, Grarl, let's go for a swim," he muttered, and with a kick to the sides he urged the horse into the river.

At first Grarl was able to cut through the river with ease, but soon the current proved to be far too strong to navigate through. The water nearly pulled Marik from the horse, and as they got deeper he noticed Grarl beginning to struggle as well.

Just as the waves were about to roll over the top of the horse and rider something looped around his waist and both of them were lifted into the air. Marik yelled and clung to the Grarl, while the horse neighed in surprise and struggled; he looked down and caught the sight of obsidian-tinted scales curled tightly around him and looping around the girth of the horse.

"Jou!" he called, suddenly relieved.

The dragon did not respond, instead depositing Marik and Grarl on the shore; the Enterran slid from the saddle and dropped onto the earth, never happier to be sitting on land. Jou then took in a deep breath before his head disappeared under the water to seek out Valon and Alister.

Minutes passed, with no sign of anyone resurfacing; Jou's head remained under the water, moving left and right slowly. He was clearly uncaring of the debris smacking into his body and no matter how hard he was hit Jou refused to come up

Marik was just about ready to dive into the river himself when Jou's head abruptly resurfaced. Alister was draped limply in Jou's jaws and the dragon was taking great care not to bite down any harder than necessary; Valon had managed to get a grip on Jou's neck and was holding on as best as he could manage.

Jou brought his head to the shore and allowed Valon to slip off his neck. Once the young man had set foot on the bank Jou then deposited Alister gently onto the grass, letting out a worried sounding whine. He was still half submerged in the river, but as there was no place for him on the bank he stayed where he was. As Jou tentatively nudged Alister Marik gained the impression that the dragon somehow knew the other man—but how or why had yet to be explained.

Valon recovered almost immediately and stumbled to his feet, making it to Alister's side. "Alister?" he asked, still coughing. He shook the red-haired man's shoulder, visibly frightened. "Alister, c'mon, don' be dead. Wake up!"

Marik dropped onto his knees beside the two of them. "Back off a minute," he ordered, gently shoving the Aurosian back. He took two fingers and placed them on Alister's neck, pressing down on the area where his neck met his shoulder and also assessing Alister's physical condition; he flinched when he felt the heat rising from Alister's skin, a sure sign of a high fever. He took in Alister's condition as he searched for a pulse.

The red-haired man looked absolutely terrible. His skin was a pale shade of gray save for the patches of dark red in his cheeks, shadows underneath his eyes. His soaked hair clung to his cheeks, as vibrant a color as blood, and Marik had to make doubly sure there were not any cuts underneath his hair. The tan oversized shirt he was wearing clung to his skin, one of his sleeves pooling just above his right elbow. Marik flinched when he caught sight of the dark red lines that stood out on the far too white skin of his right arm, streaks that traveled up his shoulder and across his collarbones. That was blood poisoning, he knew, and as soon as he was able he would have to take a look at that arm.

Marik registered all of this in a matter of seconds, but his first priority was making sure Alister was not dead. He had no idea how long Alister had been in the river…for all he knew Alister could have drowned long before he had been found, his body tossed on top of the log by the currents.

He felt a wave of relief hit him when he found a slow, sluggish pulse throbbing beneath his fingertips, and after closer inspection he noticed the shallow rise and fall of Alister's chest.

"Marik, is 'e...?" Valon was rocking anxiously back on his heels.

"Alister's still alive," Marik announced, relaxing.

Valon slumped in relief. "Of course 'e is. Alister's a tough bloke, 'e doesn' go down easy," he said, a small laugh escaping him. His smile soon faded, though, and he asked, "'ow'd Alister end up in the river like this?"

"I don't know," came the troubled reply. Marik frowned when he caught sight of the dark red lines once again and reached for Alister's arm. "Something's going on with his arm, though. He's injured it bad enough to get blood poisoning—"

The two men gasped as Alister spasmed violently, the first movement he had made since they had pulled him from the river; the movement jerked Alister's arm free and it hit the ground, making Alister spasm even further. His mouth opened and a strangled moan bubbled from his throat, but his eyes did not open and he lay back moments later. His breathing now carried a pained whine that had not been there before.

"Wha' did you do?" Valon snapped fearfully, staring at his friend with alarm. Jou rumbled uneasily, looking just as frightened as Valon.

"I didn't do anything," Marik replied shakily. "All I did was lift his arm, and I didn't even grab it that hard."

Marik eyed Alister cautiously, studying the still-unconscious man with a worried frown. His frown deepened when he saw the rope looped through a hole in the cuff of one of the sleeves, and he cautiously lifted it; he did not want to hurt Alister any further by jostling whatever injury he had. The movement adjusted the cuff's position, however, and Marik's eyes were drawn to Alister's now exposed hand.

He felt a terrible chill wash over him. _His hands..._

Alister's fingers were all bent at almost impossible angles, shattered white bone coming out of every finger. Underneath the skin on top of Alister's hand were more bumps and more areas where sharp, jagged bone ends had come out. His hand was swollen and an angry shade of red.

Now Marik knew what he was dealing with.

Bakura had made absolutely certain that those with him knew the different penalties and punishments for each kingdom; as Bakura tended to tell them about the more gruesome punishments, almost every one of the men under his  
>command did their best to avoid capture.<p>

Valon had not missed the look on Marik's face and he leaned over the Enterran's shoulder. Marik blocked his view before turning around. "Valon, do you have your knife?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

"I do, but…Marik, wha's wrong?"

Marik did not reply, instead slipping the blade of the weapon in the opening of the sleeve; he pinned down the loose material of the sleeve before he brought the knife through the cloth, ripping it all the way up to bare Alister's entire arm to the open air.

The garish wounds were far worse than Marik had initially thought. Alister's arm below the elbow was practically rippling and the skin was flushed and hot to the touch, just as swollen as his hand. Bone shards stuck out of innumerable holes in his skin, and wherever the bone poked through the skin the area was a darker, angry red. From above his elbow were countless dark red lines, the veins standing out in sharp contrast to the alternating pale and flushed skin surrounding the veins.

Valon looked as if he was ready to be sick. His face was a mix of ashen gray and tinted green. "Oh God, 'is arms…Alister…"

"All the bones below his elbow were broken multiple times, to the point where his bones splintered and came through his skin. It's done to both arms to ensure they can never set and heal properly. If the infection or the pain from the injuries doesn't kill him, he gets the joy of living with his permanently useless arms," Marik recited dully. "It's a miracle he's survived this long, given how advanced the infection is."

"…It's 'cause of me, isn' it?"

Marik looked up at him with a frown. "What?"

"'e got 'is arms broke 'cause of me, didn' 'e? It's because 'e wouldn' let anyone shoot at me or come after me," Valon continued, looking incredibly guilty. His wide eyes met Marik's and he said, "If Alister looks like this…then Raph…'ow bad is 'e hurt?"

The Enterran leaned back, sitting on the damp grass. "I won't sugarcoat it. You're probably right," he stated unhappily. "As for Raphael, I'm afraid that's something we have to ask Alister—if he wakes up."

"If 'e wakes…but we c'n fix this, right?" Valon looked genuinely afraid, something Marik had never seen before. "We jus' give 'im some of Ryou's 'ealing potion 'n'…well, it won' fix 'im all the way 'cause you mentioned potions don' heal broken bones entirely, but it's better than nothing."

But Marik was already shaking his head, his shoulders slumping. "The infection's gotten into his blood, Valon, and it's really advanced. The only thing that can help him now is a blood-cleansing draught."

"So wha's the problem? Ryou's bound t' 'ave a couple spare bottles of the stuff back at the camp, so we need t' get Alister back there 'n' get 'im 'elp!" Valon said fiercely. "Wha' are we waitin' for?"

"…Ryou doesn't know how to make the draught."

The Aurosian's eyes widened and his face drained of what little color it had left. "'e can' die!" he burst out helplessly. "'e _can't_! I won' let 'im! Marik, there's gotta be somethin' we c'n do!"

Jou growled, startling both of the men as he rose to his full height. A medley of sound burst from his throat, growls and whines mingling together as he came halfway out of the river; Grarl, who was still uneasy around the dragon, whickered at the sound but did not gallop away.

"Jou, we can't understand what you're telling us," Marik said tiredly.

Jou let out a frustrated whine, his eyes darting around the clearing before lighting up. He dug his talons deep into the mud of the riverbank, making sure they were plainly visible to the two humans. He next scooped water into his palms and poured it over the gashes in the earth; the water practically erased the gouges he had made in the ground.

It was Valon who realized what Jou was trying to tell them. "Sanare aquos," he breathed, his eyes lighting with hope.

The Enterran blinked, caught off guard by Valon's words. Since when had the Aurosian learned Latin? "What?"

"Healin' water. Yugi said it 'imself—healin' water c'n fix anything, including broken bones. If it c'n 'eal Kaiba's baby dragon, it can fix Alister up with no problem!" Valon replied eagerly, shooting to his feet.

Marik also felt a brief flare of hope rise and he felt like an idiot. Of course. He had almost forgotten about the healing spring. There was still a chance to help Alister after all, and if they could just get him to the mountain where the spring was in time…

"Jou, you're going to have to take us," he ordered, also rising to his feet. "Show us how fast you can really fly."

The dragon shot them a disconcerting grin before turning his attention to Alister. Jou carefully scooped Alister into his talons, curling his hand around the limp man to cradle him as gently as possible. He then bent down and caught both Valon and Marik by the backs of their shirts with his teeth; he then lifted them into the air as he completely came out of the river, hunkering into a small ball.

"Jou, wait a moment," Marik said in alarm, realizing too late what Jou was going to do. "You can't carry us in your jaws, we'll never—JOU!"

But the dragon had already sprung from the ground, shooting into the sky faster than any arrow could fly. Marik felt the pressure hit him and he yelled in shock as he was nearly yanked from Jou's teeth. He could just barely hear Valon's frightened yelp over the rush of wind, but then he let out an actual scream as Jou opened his jaws and released them both.

The two humans did not fall far before Jou's other taloned hand caught the two humans and tightened around them securely as the dragon's body evened out. Jou's massive wings began flapping faster, his body cutting through the air like a knife—unlike the last couple times Marik had flown with him, Jou was flying far faster than before because there were no humans on his back that he could dislodge.

"Valon, hold on!" he roared over the wind.

"Not a problem, mate!" came the yelled response as Valon gripped the edge of Jou's fist. The boy shot an anxious look at where Alister was and muttered, "Don' you die on me, Alister."

* * *

><p>Téa's gaze wandered around the empty forest clearing where the Turtle Shop once stood, feeling entirely at a loss. The gray skies overhead made the once bright and warm clearing even more forlorn-looking, and there was nothing around her to suggest that anyone had even lived in this place. "Yami, where's the shop?" she asked.<p>

Yami gave her a reassuring smile as he strode forward. "I did not destroy it, if that's what you are afraid of," he replied, pausing at where the gate had used to be. "Yugi values this place far too much to allow me to harm it. All I did was hide it from view."

As he spoke he stretched his hand forward and Téa gasped as the air around his fingers rippled. He turned to her and motioned for her to go forward. "No harm will come to you," he said mildly. "I am here, after all, and the Shadows will part for those with me."

"You used Shadow magic to hide the Turtle Shop," she said, suddenly understanding what Yami had done.

"After the guards came the first time, I realized I had no other alternative but to hide this place from unfriendly eyes," said Yami calmly, stepping forward and vanishing from view. Téa froze for a few moments as the air distorted and rippled once again, but she followed after Yami all the same.

Cold pressure settled on her shoulders and she flinched as the chilled air weighed on her body. She stopped walking entirely, suddenly unable to move at all as the barrier pushed her back. Not knowing what else to do, she fought to remain where she was.

A hand caught her wrist from somewhere in front of her and tugged her forward, pulling her through the barrier. Téa gasped in relief as Yami once again appeared in front of her, nearly sinking to her knees.

"I apologize," Yami said, sounding tired. "I forgot that those without magic can have trouble with a barrier formed from Shadow Magic."

Téa did not reply, though she did shoot him a reassuring smile. Yami had a lot on his mind as of late, and even using the Shadow path had drained him; she suspected it was because he was not used to dwelling in a physical body for such a long period of time, but as Yugi was still hurt there was no other choice for the Enterran spirit.

"So what story book are we looking for?" Téa asked once she had recovered. "There are a lot of books in Yugi's grandfather's library."

"As I told you, it is a children's story book. I do not know its title, but Yugi's grandfather would read it to you and Yugi. There's a story inside that book that highly pertains to Jou's situation."

Téa smiled at the memory. When she had been younger she had always come to the shop, curious about the magic that hung about the building; Yugi had also been rather sickly as a child and was confined to the shop grounds, so she had often come to keep Yugi company in the store. Sometimes she had even stayed the night and had listened to the stories Yugi's grandfather would tell, watching in awe as the older wizard would cast spells on the storybook to bring the words to life; the elderly man always enjoyed the looks of wonder that would light his grandson's face, as would Téa. Even now, Yugi's open, bright smile was contagious.

At that thought of Yugi she felt a pang of misery and she halted in her tracks. When the shorter man looked to her curiously she said, "Yugi's going okay, isn't he?"

Yami's calm expression flickered and his eyes shifted past her. "His presence is getting stronger, of course, and using regular magic is becoming easier, but when he will fully recover is entirely up to him," he replied, and for the briefest of moments he looked vulnerable.

Her gaze went to the empty, silent building that had once held so much magic and life in it. In the dim gray light the building looked abandoned and it seemed to be just as forlorn as she was; for one second she thought she heard Yugi's bright voice calling out a greeting to her and a lump rose in her throat.

"I miss him," she admitted softly, her vision starting to blur.

Yami did not reply as he stepped into the shop, but she noticed his jaw tighten and she knew he felt the same way.

* * *

><p>Marik squinted against the wind that was blowing violently into his face, but even so he spotted the familiar volcanic mountain in the distance; the storm had completely missed the area surrounding the warm mountains, and though the gray clouds were still above them the rain had stopped falling.<p>

"We're almost there!" he called.

Valon looked up and over at Jou's other curled hand. Though he could not see Alister from his new vantage point he was no less worried. "Oi, Jou! 'ow's Alister 'oldin' up?" he shouted.

Jou rumbled and stopped in mid-flight, flapping his wings to hover as he brought up his other hand; his talons uncurled to allow the two humans to see Alister. He lowered his head and nudged the motionless man experimentally, holding his position for only seconds before an alarmed light entered the ruby eyes.

Before either of them could ask, the dragon closed his fist over Alister and then angled his body into a steep descent as he dove for the jagged opening in the side of the mountain. Jou's grip readjusted on Valon and Marik, tucking them entirely inside his fist by closing his claws over the top of them.

Valon felt a shudder through the dragon's body as Jou hit the mountain and he heard several smaller splashes; Jou had dislodged a few rocks on his re-entry into the cave and they had fallen into the pool of water. He only had seconds to register this, however, before they slammed into the water and he found himself submerged.

Upon hitting the water Jou's fist had loosened enough for the two humans to push their way free, though it took some doing to entirely free themselves, and moments after they had entered the water they broke the surface.

"'m gonna kill 'im!" Valon choked through his gasps. "This's the second time I nearly drowned t'day!"

Marik treaded water, content with pulling air into his lungs. An odd look had appeared on his face and when Valon shot him an inquiring look the Enterran said, "My ribs haven't entirely healed yet. The water's at work."

Valon shifted his gaze to Jou, who was almost sitting in the water. Jou's palms was open and he could see Alister floating in the water in the dragon's hands; it seemed Alister had come to no further harm, but the worried noises coming from the dragon's throat bothered him and Valon immediately started swimming over. Marik saw him move and shortly followed after his friend; when they both got to Jou they clambered onto his outstretched palms.

Valon's attention first went to Alister's exposed arm. He had expected to see the water at work as it healed the broken bones, but a cold feeling settled in his stomach when he saw that Alister's right arm was not changing. "'ow fast is this water supposed to work?" he asked uneasily.

"Almost immediately," Marik replied, and he leaned over to check Alister's pulse. As he did, however, his lavender eyes locked onto Alister's chest and he stiffened. "He's not breathing," he said, paling.

"_W__hat_?" Valon felt panic rise in his chest and he sat upright.

"He had a pulse, but he's stopped breathing and now his heart's stopping," he replied, his fingers on Alister's throat. "Ryou told me about this once, hang on…no heartbeat, no breath…we've got to get him breathing," he continued, clearly trying to remember. "It's some complex process, something about pressure on his chest—"

Marik rose on to his knees and pressed his palms over where Alister's heart was, starting to repetitively push on his chest and completely focused on getting Alister's stopped heart to beat again.

Valon watched with increasing anxiety, his fear growing with every passing second. He always prided himself on his ability to adjust to any situation and disliked admitting to things he could not do, but as he watched Marik fight to get Alister to breathe he felt an overwhelming wave of helplessness slam into him when he realized he could not do anything to help Alister.

Marik soon halted his actions to see if there was any change in the other man's condition. He growled in frustration shortly afterwards. "Alister, breathe!" he said angrily. "I'm basically keeping your heart going, but it won't help me if I can't get you to draw breath!"

The helplessness Valon had been feeling abruptly vanished and he straightened up—he realized that he knew one way he could get Alister to breathe. He pushed Marik aside, drawing his arm back and his hand forming into a fist. "Sorry, Alister," he muttered, and before Marik could stop him the Aurosian punched Alister's diaphragm as hard as he could.

"Learned it when I was in the fightin' ring, a hard enough punch in the right place forces the air outta your lungs," he explained brusquely when Marik began to protest. "It 'urts like nothin' else, but if a bloke isn' breathin' it 'elps cause it also forces you to—"

They both jumped as Alister started coughing and gasping for breath, rolling onto his side and starting to curl in on himself. His right arm landed in the water and as they watched the bones almost immediately began retreating to their proper position, his arms returning to a normal color. Color started washing back into Alister's face and the flush of the fever died away.

Jou let out a pleased whine, giving another disorienting smile. Marik leaned over to check for Alister's pulse, and seconds later he shot Valon a triumphant grin; he did not say anything, but Valon knew what Marik was going to say and he sagged in relief. They had done it.

Alister stirred with a soft moan and his eyes slowly slid open. Valon leaned forward and he gently shook the redhead's shoulder. "Alister, you wakin' up? C'mon, chum, say somethin'," he urged when Alister did not immediately respond.

The red-haired man's eyes opened at last and he blinked several times, clearly disoriented. He turned his head to look up at Valon and did not seem to register him at first, but then the gray eyes closed again and he mumbled, "Somethin'."

Valon visibly relaxed, waves of relief washing over him. "You're okay. You're really okay," he said shakily.

"Aside from feeling like I've just been kicked in the stomach," came the hoarsely spoken retort.

"Oh c'mon, chum, I didn' hit you tha' 'ard," the Aurosian said, forcing a chuckle. "And anyways, you're were the one tryin' t' die on me."

Alister opened his eyes at that, one of his eyebrows rising. "Admit it. You've wanted to punch me for years. Raphael's the only reason you haven't done it so far," he said, his voice coming out much stronger than before.

Valon's laugh was much more genuine this time. Alister was clearly on the mend if he was already quipping. "Well, I can' lie, you've called me enough names in the past. Consider it payback."

"Fair enough." Alister's eyes closed again and he looked almost as if he would doze off.

Valon sobered at the sight, his smile fading. He desperately wanted to ask Alister about what had happened to him; it was Valon's fault his older friend was in this condition to begin with, no matter what anyone told him, and he was also worried about Raphael. He knew Marik wanted to ask as well, but right now Alister was still recovering and it would have to wait until his friend was feeling up to the task.

"'ow're you feelin', mate?" he asked awkwardly at last.

His friend did not open his eyes, but when he replied his voice sounded oddly amused. "I got both of my arms gruesomely broken so I could never use them again, I was stabbed and then tossed into a river to drown, I had to endure everything in the river hitting my arms and getting sick, and I think I actually died and came back just now. Beyond that, I'm perfectly fine."

Alister paused, and then continued speaking. "Oh, and if I'm not much mistaken I'm currently lying in the hands of a dragon I tried to kill almost a month ago. I'm in need of an explanation."


	29. Questions, Answers, and Reunions

_I know, I know, it's been how long? But see, I come bringing a long update to make up for my absence—*dodges the rotten vegetables being tossed at her*_

_Quite a few things have been going on for me lately and I've really not had a chance to work on the chapter. There might be some tweaks here and there later, but for now we have an update. I'm afraid that the real action won't necessarily start until next chapter, so put up with the "beating around the bush" chapters for just a while longer, guys._

_Again, thank you to every reviewer and follower, anonymous or signed. I appreciate you all, haha, and your reviews honestly make it all worthwhile._

* * *

><p>When they had left the Shadow Path earlier that morning it had started off as a small, gentle throbbing behind his eyes. As they had advanced further into the forest, however, the pounding headache grew stronger, making it difficult to even breathe; it was well on its way to becoming a migraine.<p>

Ryou knew why this headache had come, of course. When he had left he had blocked the mental link that existed between himself and Bakura, as he had not wanted Bakura to see where he had gone. It was easier to block the connection the further away he was from Bakura, but now that he was back in the forest the other man could sense him—and the headache was proof that the thief knew Ryou had returned.

"Ryou?" Sivya had stopped walking, turning to study him with a concerned expression. She was clearly exhausted, as they had been walking practically all night, but even so she had not failed to see Ryou start trailing behind them. Rishid and Ishizu also halted, watching him with something close to worry.

Ryou bit back a groan as another agonizing throb shot through his temples, this time the pain nearly blinding him. "I…hold a moment, I've got to…"

He staggered, the world tilting on its axis for a few jarring seconds, but someone caught him and wrapped a strong arm around his shoulders. He was then steered him to a fallen log to sit on—Rishid was helping him, he realized dimly. He was on the verge of passing out, but he fought back the rolling darkness gathering at the back of his eyes; if he passed out now the link would remain closed, and years of experience had taught him enough to know this was not a desired outcome.

Mind links were not something trivial, despite the almost too-simple name. The link was not just to his mind but to his soul as well; to block such a connection required an immense amount of control and mental concentration. It had taken Ryou almost his entire life to learn how to create a barrier strong enough to block Bakura, and while it took time to craft a defense strong enough to keep the thief out of his mind it took only seconds to dismantle.

_Hello, Bakura, _he called wearily through the link.

Some of the tension in his temples alleviated as the link began reforming; the best way Ryou could ever describe re-opening the link was akin to carrying a familiar weight on his shoulders. It would be some time before the blinding headache disappeared, however. The balance between himself and the thief was off-kilter because of the amount of time the link had been blocked, and until it evened out Ryou would have to work around the pain.

Bakura's voice was painfully loud when he replied to Ryou moments later. **You have no idea how angry I am at you.**

_If this headache I've got is any indication of how you feel, I'd say you're furious. I almost passed out, you know._

**What right do you have to complain? You're the one who snuck away in the dead of night without telling me.**

_If I had told you what I was doing, you would have never—_

**SHUT UP.**

Ryou flinched at the accompanying spike of white-hot pain that shot through his temples. The voice currently resonating through his skull held a tremble of anger that permeated each and every word that followed.

**Since when are you Yami's little errand boy? Since when does he have the right to order you about? The last I checked, you held the Ring, not the Puzzle. If Yami wants to risk someone's life that's his business, but you are not his pawn to command! **

_There was no one else who could go! _Ryou's voice came out sharper than he had intended, and his head throbbed once again. He waited until he was certain he would not snap any further before he spoke again—he didn't need to make an already furious Bakura even angrier. _If there was another option then I wouldn't have left at all. But I made my choice and you can't change it now._

The pain in his head was growing stronger, as well as Bakura's presence through the link—he was getting closer to them. He kept his eyes shut, but he started listening to the forest around them to try and pinpoint which direction Bakura was coming from. A fruitless task, he thought wryly, for Bakura could be as silent as a shadow when he desired. The title "Thief King" was not just a means to boost an already insufferable ego.

**You have free reign over your actions, yes, and if it is such a heavy burden I can easily remove it from you. I enjoy having my own body, but I remember a time not so long ago where we had to share.**

Ryou paled, dread rising within him. There were still gaping holes in his childhood memories from where Bakura had overshadowed him, and while he had never found out exactly what had happened he had always gained the impression that nothing good had come of it.

And of course there had been the occasional casualty or two that he _did_ remember.

Bakura was not one for idle threats. If he felt that Ryou had crossed a boundary the thief would take action the moment he found them, and Ryou had enough gaps in his memory as it was. _Can you at least trust that good came from this excursion? _he asked at last.

**And what sort of good would that be?**

Without preamble Ryou summoned every memory he had of his visit to Hermos and pushed it to the forefront of his mind, not bothering to place them in any particular order. In such circumstances it was best if Bakura chose the important memories for himself.

He felt the pressure increase at the back of his skull and, much like one would turn pages in a book, he felt the memories he'd called being perused. The memories were clipped, jarring and often disconnected in sequence; Bakura was viewing them in the order in which Ryou had called them, but he was seeking out the important aspects of the memories.

"Ryou?"

The white haired man opened his eyes wearily and gave Sivya a reassuring smile. The headache was finally easing, though not entirely dissipating; in about another hour the headache would be entirely gone. Rishid was still holding him upright, but when Ryou shifted and straightened the Enterran man released him.

"There's no need to worry. I'm sorry if I frightened any of you," Ryou said tiredly, looking at the others around him. "Bakura can be rather impatient and I did sneak off without telling him what I was doing."

Sivya hovered around him anxiously as Ryou slowly went to his feet. She did not know much about the mind link between Ryou and Bakura, but she was at least aware of the connection. "Are you certain you should walk?" she asked. "Maybe it would be best if we rested a while longer, until you've recovered."

"I'm certain," said Ryou, smiling with some exhaustion. He glanced to Rishid, who had risen to his feet as well, and to the silently watching Ishizu. "We need to get back to the lair. From here it's only twenty minutes, ten if we walk quickly," he announced, already starting to stride forward.

He caught the motion of Ishizu shaking her head from the corner of his eyes. "I find it both prudent and in our best interests to remain here," she stated.

Ryou turned, noticing that Ishizu was no longer looking at him. Her eyes had gone to a point off to their right, and one of her hands was lightly resting on her Tauk. "What's wrong?" he asked, suddenly concerned. Ishizu could see the future…what if something terrible had befallen the others while he had been gone? Was there some threat approaching them even now?

Rishid was standing next to his sister now, and his own head moved in the direction that had caught Ishizu's fixed gaze. Though he did not appear any different Ryou could tell the taller man was bracing himself to possibly defend the woman. "I do not see a threat, sister," he said quietly.

"It is not a threat that approaches," she replied. "I cannot see his future in the Tauk, but my Item still recognizes its brethren."

Ryou and Sivya exchanged baffled glances. "Brethren?" Sivya asked cautiously.

"She's talking about the Ring," came the annoyed response, and everyone with the exception of Ishizu started as Bakura pushed his way through the bushes behind Sivya. "Hello, little mouse," he continued as he passed the girl, addressing her with the greeting.

Sivya glowered at Bakura, slightly affronted by the nickname, but wisely did not speak. The thief had never thought much of Sivya to begin with and would not hesitate to bring her harm if she bothered him enough. Bakura was not shy about hitting a woman

"I don't recall you having the ability to sense the items, Ishizu," Bakura drawled, his mahogany eyes going to the Enterran woman. If he was fazed by seeing Marik's older siblings, he was doing an incredibly good job of hiding his surprise.

"Much has transpired since we parted ways. My power, though still limited in certain aspects, has grown," Ishizu said evenly as she faced him. "It has been some time, Bakura."

The thief grunted, his eyes flicking over to Rishid. "You're also here, I see," he remarked. "You look a lot healthier and a lot less bloody than when we last met. The scars on your face haven't faded—a pity, as they would at least help you look semi-approachable."

"I was given time to heal. As for my scars, I do not intend to let them fade," said Rishid, a noticeably wary edge to his words. "You have not changed at all, but what of Master Marik?"

"You still don't trust me in the slightest. He's fine," retorted Bakura irritably when Rishid made to speak. "In fact, the moment he sees you both I know exactly what he's going to say. 'I _told_ you they wouldn't let themselves get separated!' I can hear him already and I don't relish that encounter."

"Then he is safe?" Ishizu was watching him attentively, but there was no hiding the concerned note to her words.

"Oh he's physically healthy and his hatred of every nobleman is still as strong as ever," Bakura said, waving a hand dismissively. "I would think that you could see him for yourself on that Tauk of yours."

Ishizu's composed mask cracked for the briefest of seconds. "I cannot, Bakura. Any Item holder's future is one shrouded in mystery," she said, and Ryou gained the impression that she was choosing her words carefully. "My abilities are still limited in that regard."

Bakura's eyes narrowed. "Marik does not hold a Shadow Item."

Ryou cleared his throat to catch their attention. "That's why we need to get back to the lair. There is a message for Yami from Princess Mai I need to deliver and…well, I believe it will answer quite a few questions," he said. For Bakura's benefit he pulled the memory of the Shadow creature from the night before, sending it to Bakura's own thoughts.

The other silver-haired man grunted again, then jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Fine, whatever. I for one despise traveling in the rain," he declared, and with a snap of his fingers the entrance to another Shadow Path opened directly in front of him. "Let's go."

The Enterrans passed Bakura without problem, but as Ryou walked by the other white-haired man grabbed his arm and yanked him to the side. "Don't think that the arrival of the mouse and Marik's siblings have served as a distraction from our earlier conversation," he hissed. "There is much we have to discuss when we are alone."

Ryou did not immediately reply. "I understand," he said at last, resignation coloring his words.

Bakura released him and stalked forward. "For what it's worth," he called over his shoulder gruffly as he stalked into the darkness, "I am glad that you're safe."

Ryou shook his head, hiding the small smile. It was nice to know the thief had been worried about him, even if it had been because Bakura did not want to end up trapped in the Millennium Ring.

* * *

><p>Téa scrutinized the bookshelf, trying to pinpoint the book in the dim light. She and Yami had gone upstairs to try and locate the storybook, as Yugi and his grandfather generally kept all written text in the room above the shop. While it was certainly lighter upstairs than it was below because of the windows, the room still was rather dim, as if a curtain was hanging over the window; Yami had told her that the upstairs could only be lit by fires made by magic, and as he was incapable of casting regular spells they had to make do with what they had.<p>

The familiar magical pressure that was normally in this room had abated in the time since Yugi had been struck down, and everything seemed to hold a gray cast to it, one that was not necessarily caused by the light from outside. Yami had started when they had come upstairs, as he had not been up in the loft since his departure weeks ago; clearly he was not used to the change in atmosphere.

Téa reached for another book, examining the emerald green cover carefully. Was this the one? It had been years since she had seen any of these books, so she could not be sure; there was something about this particular book that she felt was different, for out of all of the novels she'd picked up so far this one had been the only one that felt oddly warm to the touch.

"I wish I could see these books better," she grumbled, glancing at Yami. Perhaps he could conjure up a light of some kind, even if his expertise lay only in Shadow magic.

Almost immediately after she had spoken Yami's hand seemed to move on its own. A very faint warmth touched her fingertips and she started, looking down at the dimly flickering pink orb of light resting on her fingers; it illuminated the cover of the book and just inside the orb she could see what looked like delicate butterfly wings.

She instantly relaxed at the sight of the fairy light—Yami had heard her. Her eyes were drawn to the golden letters written across the book's cover, the color illuminated by the glow of the fairy light, and she brightened. "Here it is, Yami," she announced victoriously, holding the book up.

Yami, who had been perusing a different book, set it down on the shelf nearest him before crossing the room. He took the book mutely and began rifling through the pages, his eyes scanning each page intently before he finally made a triumphant noise in the back of his throat.

"So it _is_ in this book after all—Yugi's memories weren't wrong," he said, closing the book. At Téa's affronted look he said reassuringly, "The memories in question were from his childhood. A child's perspective is oft different than those of adults."

"You peered into Yugi's memories?" she asked. "How come?"

"Remember that I am confined to the Puzzle," he replied, his hand unconsciously cupping the golden pyramid resting on his chest. "In the years before Yugi completed the Millennium Puzzle I was…not paying attention to my surroundings, shall we say. When Jou told us as much of his predicament as he could, it reminded Yugi of something he'd heard as a child. I simply perused the memories called forth by those thoughts—hence why we are here now."

His eyes landed on the orb of light resting on Téa's fingers and they widened by an almost imperceptible fraction. "A fairy light," he breathed, suddenly sounding odd.

"Yes. I couldn't really see what I was reading, even with the light coming from the windows. I'm glad you gave me the fairy light—what's wrong?" she asked uncertainly, noticing the expression on Yami's face.

"I cast no such spell," he said after a brief pause, frowning at her.

"You did," she insisted. "I saw you move your hand and then the light appeared."

The spirit stared at her for several long moments before he spoke. "Téa, I cannot cast regular magic and the fairy lights cannot generate themselves," he said slowly. "Creating fairy lights was something Yugi alone could do—and I don't recall moving my hand to create that light."

It took a few moments for Téa to process what Yami was telling her, but when it clicked she sat up straighter. She held out the hand with the fairy light twinkling ever so faintly on her fingers, hope and excitement began to rise within her chest. There was a joyful tremor in her voice when she spoke.

"Then that little light means Yugi's getting better," she said, a smile starting to grow as she looked fondly at the ethereal pink orb. "This is his way of telling us he's going to be okay, isn't it?"

Yami did not answer her, but not because he was ignoring her or because he was uncertain how to respond.

Despite the fact that he inhabited a physical body, Yami had felt entirely off balance in the weeks since Yugi's collapse. It was not his body, after all, and ever since the Puzzle had been completed Yugi had been a familiar presence; when Yugi had been attacked the wizard had promptly disappeared, and though Yami had caught traces of his presence over the weeks it had been as if Yugi had been practically torn away from his body. He had put on a front, of course, and most people could not tell that he was bothered by Yugi's absence. Even so, after spending years sharing the same body it had been disorienting—even frightening—to not even be able to detect Yugi's presence.

While Téa had been speaking to him, a very familiar and reassuring weight had returned to the back of his mind; this event had been the reason he did not immediately answer her, and in fact it had happened in only a few seconds. This new presence did not yet speak, but Yami knew immediately who it was.

Outwardly, he smiled at Téa, feeling almost overwhelmingly relieved. "You would be correct."

* * *

><p>"…And if it hadn' been for our dragon friend 'ere you wouldn' 'ave made it," Valon finished, glancing at Alister for some sign of acknowledgement.<p>

Marik re-adjusted his position on the cave floor, leaning cautiously against a nearby pile of rubble. Jou had moved all three of them to the shore, lifting Alister with especial care out of the water to situate him; once again Jou had the odd predicament of not having enough space to settle with them on land, so he remained where he was in the water.

Valon had just finished relaying to his older friend about how they had found Alister floating in the river, though the Aurosian had left out his argument with Marik; the Enterran had pitched in here and there, but he had left the bulk of the tale to Valon. The other teenager had briefly mentioned that Jou was an ally in response to one of Alister's questions, but had not said anything further on the matter. Though the Aurosian was still uncertain about Jou, it seemed that he trusted the dragon a lot more since their adventure at the river.

Alister had remained on his back while Valon had been speaking, and though his eyes had been locked on his younger friend he made no attempt to sit up on his own; perhaps he was too exhausted to move, but Marik did not miss the way that Alister was pointedly ignoring his arms. It was entirely possible Alister was unaware of the changed condition of his injuries, he thought, but for now he would wait to address that point.

"So I can be assured the dragon won't try to eat me for shooting at it when it attacked the castle?" the red-haired man asked then, glancing at the dragon looming over them all.

Jou's face scrunched into a scowl, an irritated huff escaping him.

"Naw, Alister, 'e won' 'urt ya. 'e's like Marik—'e eats rabbit food," Valon replied, but then he yelped when Jou ducked his head and deliberately knocked the brown-haired man into the water.

"He eats meat, Valon. He just doesn't eat _humans_," Marik said with some amusement when the spluttering Aurosian resurfaced. Jou himself was giving his own version of a laugh, a sound that was a cross between a growl and a strange hum.

Alister did not laugh, but there was a small smirk that quirked the corners of his mouth. "Glad to hear that—I've got enough to deal with as it is," he said tiredly. His eyes closed seconds later and he relaxed.

"So wha' 'appened t' you anyways, Alister?" Valon demanded, scrambling out of the water and back onto the shore. "'ow'd you end up in the river? You said someone stabbed you," he added, his voice darkening and his eyes flashing.

"Ah yes, about that," Alister said, and his own eyes narrowed. "I'm afraid that at the moment I can't give specifics. Let's just say I didn't play nice with Jean Claude's guards while I was up there and Jean Claude decided I was better off dead."

"'ow come you can' tell us?" Valon retorted. "Tha's not somethin' you keep t' yourself. I know you don' like bein' social 'n' all, but—"

"It's not me being secretive," Alister interrupted, the first hint of annoyance coloring his words. "I don't think I can tell you what's going on—not without bringing a whole world of hurt down on certain, undeserving heads."

His eyes flickered downward at that comment, towards his neck, and he seemed to unconsciously tense. From above them, Jou let out a low rumbling growl of understanding.

Marik had not understood straight away what Alister had been hinting at. Jou's reaction, however, had triggered a memory from weeks before, when Marik had come into the room above the Turtle Shop and had seen a then semi-human Jou flailing helplessly on the floor, green lightning brutally shocking and punishing his body. "A gag spell," he said grimly.

Alister turned his head to Marik. He did not have to say anything—the look in his eyes was confirmation enough.

"Not you too," groaned Valon. "I's bad enough that ol' Scaly 'ere 'as that problem, now you seem to 'ave it."

Jou made an affronted noise at his new nickname, but no one paid him any mind.

"I'm not the only one," Alister replied slowly. "More than one person at the castle was afflicted with this…ailment."

Valon stared incredulously, realizing who Alister was referring to. "Raph and Elya, too?"

"Not just our little group, Valon—_all _the guards, save for those on Jean Claude's side, have my problem." Alister said darkly. "As for why, I can't say anything until I've seen Yugi. He's the only one who can do something to help."

Marik and Valon exchanged glances. "About that," Marik began slowly. "Yugi's incapacitated at the moment. He's been gone, so to speak, so currently we have Yami in Yugi's body."

"Bloody confusin', tha's wha' I say," Valon muttered under his breath.

Marik ignored him. "Yami's available, but if you are under a spell he can't do anything about it until Yugi's recovered—and he's made it pretty clear he has no idea when _that_  
>will be."<p>

Surprise flitted across Alister's features, but seconds later it vanished. "I'd wondered whether he'd known Yugi was here," he muttered. "Jean Claude must have found out Yugi was still present, so of course he made sure the one wizard left in the area was taken care of. That's one of my questions answered."

"I wasn't aware Jean Claude knew magic," said Marik with a frown. "From what I gathered, he was nothing but a rather pompous airheaded braggart, and you seem to share Mai's opinion on the matter—you haven't called him 'prince' or 'Highness' at all."

Valon snorted. Marik disliked royalty on principle—whether Mai had ever said such a thing was questionable. Come to think of it, though, how _did_ Marik know that Jean Claude had no experience with magic? Valon had never even seen the prince (though he'd heard his voice before) and the Enterran certainly never met him...

Alister gave a dark laugh as he looked up at Marik. "You won't like the answer I give you when I'm able to speak freely, Marik," he said grimly. "I'd tell you now if I wasn't afraid of exacerbating my oh-so-dire situation."

Marik's frown deepened and he studied Alister with renewed concern. What was he talking about?

Valon made an impatient noise that caused everyone else to look at him. "So if you can' tell me 'ow you ended up in the river, Alister, 'ow come you were unstrung?" he asked, but even though he tried to keep his voice neutral there was still a slight stutter in his words.

Alister had not missed Valon's shift in behavior and he frowned. "I think we both know the answer to that one. That night in the forest, when you and Mai ran into us, Jean Claude ordered Raphael and I to shoot at one of our best friends. I shot an arrow at Jean Claude's face instead. Suffice it to say, I don't think he was pleased by my actions—and I'm rather sorry to say I missed."

The Aurosian flinched. "So…Raph was punished too, then?" he asked, gulping nervously. He was almost afraid to ask what had happened to their oldest friend, because if Alister had been unstrung he could not even try to imagine what the prince had done to Raphael.

"Twenty-five lashes with a whip and a few other nasties I can't discuss at the moment, but he'll heal," said Alister quietly. Noticing that Valon was looking rather guilty, however, a scowl crossed Alister's features.

"Don't you dare apologize," he said sharply when Valon opened his mouth. "You had no idea we were there that night. I chose to defy Jean Claude's orders, and so did Raphael. We brought our punishments on our own heads. If anyone, blame Jean Claude for what happened."

The dragon growled above them in agreement, his ruby eyes flashing.

Valon still did not look convinced. "I was still the reason you got your arms all mangled."

"Last I checked, you weren't the one who dropped both a hammer and a freaking _anvil_ multiple times on my arms, nor were you in the crowd that was watching and laughing the whole time," Alister retorted irritably, though his eyes darkened and a haunted edge crept into his words.

Valon's guilty expression morphed into one of absolute fury and horror. "They were _laughin'_?"

Jou abruptly snarled in outrage, a strangled and feral sound that startled all three humans. His tail slapped the water and his red eyes glowed in the dim light.

Marik was not entirely surprised by what Alister had said. Punishments were specifically designed to be cruel in nature; for those who watched such things, it was a reminder to obey the laws. Even so, the mention of the anvil had Marik subconsciously drawing his arms closer to his body.

He glanced at the hole in the ceiling above them and frowned. Though normally he could determine what time of day it was based on the sun's position, the rainclouds above them made it difficult for him to gauge how long they had been gone. "We need to go," he announced, rising to his feet. "Bakura's probably wondering where I got off to—he's mad enough Ryou's vanished and I don't intend to make him any angrier."

Valon snorted again. "Tha's if 'e actually cares you're gone," he pointed out.

Marik glanced back to Alister, who was looking suspiciously close to dozing off. Even though the water had taken away Alister's injuries and the fever, it did nothing to hide the fact the red-haired man was utterly exhausted. "You should try to sleep on our way back," Marik said then, catching everyone's attention. "I'm pretty sure if we tried to stand you upright you'd fall over."

Alister's eyes shut and did not open while he spoke. "It's a tempting offer. I haven't slept for weeks because of my arms—speaking of which, I have no idea what you did to make them this comfortably numb. Thank you for that," he said, and there was a truly grateful note to his words. "I feel almost normal. I don't know what potion you used, but I hope it lasts for a while yet."

Marik nodded to himself, suddenly much more certain. His earlier suspicion about Alister's reluctance to look at his arms had been confirmed by that statement, and frankly Marik was not all that surprised; the other man's arms had been so horribly mangled when they'd found him. Neither of them had thought to tell Alister that his arms had completely healed, however, and Jou obviously could not say anything.

Valon had reached the same conclusion Marik had and he scooted closer to Alister. "We didn' give you a potion," he said, and Alister's eyes opened to regard the Aurosian with some confusion. After hesitating a moment, the younger man reached for one of his friend's arms. "You also don' 'ave t' worry 'bout your arms 'urtin' anymore—we fixed 'em."

Alister had stiffened when Valon's hand moved to his arm, and out of instinct he swatted Valon's hand away. "Don't touch my arms!" he snapped angrily, his eyes flashing. "They're—!"

But then Alister froze as he stared at the hand he had used to push Valon and his breath hitched. He said nothing for several long moments, gazing disbelievingly at his bared arm, and then he slowly lifted his left arm to join its companion; the oversized sleeve immediately dropped to expose the appendage. He continued to stare as he began rotating his arms, alternating between wiggling his fingers to forming fists.

"I didn't think I would ever get to do that again," Alister said softly, his voice catching as he lowered his arms at last. He slowly sat up and looked over at them, and for the briefest of seconds the red-haired man seemed almost vulnerable. The expression vanished almost as soon as the other two men registered the look, however, and the red-haired man locked his eyes onto Valon. "What did you do?"

At Alister's suddenly sharp voice Valon held his hands up in a placating gesture. "Easy, mate, I didn' sell my soul t' the devil or the like," he said hastily, slightly quailing under Alister's glare. "The healin' spring patched up your arms."

Alister blinked once, then glanced at the water nearby. "I had thought springs such as this were bedtime story fodder," he said. He glanced at his fingers splayed across the dirt and pebbles beneath them, still marveling he could even move them. "How did you find it?"

"Quite by accident," Marik replied instantly. "We saw our dragon friend fly here one day and we figured he had a hoard. Instead, we found an annoyingly loud princess that was more trouble than she's worth in ransom, and later discovered the spring's powers when Kaiba came a-calling."

Alister arched an eyebrow. "Is that why a quarter of the forest is destroyed?" he asked Marik. "What happened to anger the oh-so-mighty Lord of Dragons?"

"Someone de-scaled one of his kits and he assumed Bakura had something to do with it," Marik replied nonchalantly.

The redhead frowned at the comment. "I want to hear that particular story," he said grimly. "Jean Claude has a very interesting sword that Kaiba might like to know about."

"The one crafted from the White Dragon? Mai already told us about that," Marik stated.

Alister's face darkened. "Of course. Throw everyone off her tail by pointing out Jean Claude's short comings. Honestly, Marik, you should have just let our dragon friend here blast her—if you knew half of what she's done you would have let her be."

Marik did not like the sound of Alister's words; the red-haired man had more chances to see and interact with Mai at the castle, and clearly she had done something to garner his disgust. Something was definitely going on up there, if the hints Alister were dropping were any indication of it.

But _what?_ What was happening up there? There had been the rumors of the coup d'état, then had come the banishing of the wizards and of some of the servants from the castle—and now Alister had shown up, currently bound under a gag spell and had actually _died_ at one point this morning. And how exactly was Mai tied into all of this? This was not supposed to be his business, yet Marik was starting to get the impression that he was indirectly involved.

Marik had been lost in his thoughts, but the abrupt sounds of Jou's snarls ripping through the air brought him back out of them and he looked to the dragon. The black-scaled creature was bristling, half-rising from the water and glaring at Alister. His fangs glinted in the dim light and his eyes were glowing once again.

"Shut up, Jou," he said flatly, primarily to take the dragon's attention off of Alister. "Yes, she's a princess, but just because you seem to be harboring some sort of crush on Mai doesn't automatically make her a saint—"

But Alister had violently started when Marik said the dragon's name and he shot a wide-eyed gaze to the black-scaled dragon, the little color left in his face draining. "Jou…_Jou,"_ he breathed, comprehension dawning on his face. "Is that…it _is _you, isn't it?"

Jou was calming, startled by the sudden shift in behavior from Alister. Even so, there was something close to realization on his face and an approving sound left the dragon's throat—though he still seemed angry about the comments about Mai.

Valon blinked. "Er…Alister, I thought you didn' know who the dragon was. You tellin' us you _do_ know 'im?"

But Alister had not heard Valon's comment. His eyes were trained on the dragon, and when he spoke it was apparent he was speaking to Jou.

"You vanished and in your place came a dragon…a dragon than never destroyed the castle and avoided causing too much harm to the guards," he said slowly. "The dragon always seemed to be searching for something whenever it came…of course. _Of course. _You were searching the castle for _her _before Mai arrived…and then you took Mai out of the castle. Jean Claude never said he killed you, just that you were indisposed, and what better way to keep you out of the kingdom than to—?"

"I can practically see smoke comin' out of your ears 'cause you're thinkin' so fast," Valon said wryly, though he sobered at Alister's current expression. "Wha's wrong?"

"We need to go to Yami. _Now,_" Alister said urgently, rising unsteadily to his feet.

"Forgive me for asking the obvious, but how do you even know Jou?" asked Marik, glancing at the dragon in some surprise. "Was he a guard at the castle with you?"

"In a way. I need to get to someone who can wield magic and who can do _something_ to help me," came the irritated retort as Alister fought to keep his balance. He stayed uncertainly in place, tried taking a step forward, and fell forward. He was clearly not ready to try walking yet.

Jou's head had been lowering even as the red-haired man had been moving, however. He caught Alister and kept him upright with a low rumble, and after steadying Alister on his feet he lifted his head into the air. He lowered one of his taloned hands, glancing pointedly at the humans and dipping his head toward his outstretched hand. Taking the hint, Alister and Valon moved forward; Jou waited until they were secure before lifting them to his back, gently setting them atop of the scales.

Marik nimbly climbed up Jou's front left leg and ended up in front of Alister, already in motion before the red-haired man finished speaking. He did not know Alister nearly as well as Valon did, but he knew that the other man rarely sounded so urgent unless something was truly important. That, coupled with his own questions, had been more than enough to get him going.

Jou began hunkering down, his muscles tightening as he studied the small opening in the cavern ceiling above them.

Valon tapped Alister's shoulders. "You might wanna 'old on t' somethin'. Jou takes off wicked fast 'n' you're still tryin' t' recover."

"I've seen him take off whenever he finished paying us a visit at the castle before, Valon," Alister said flatly, "He doesn't go that fast—"

Jou sprang into motion, hurtling through the air with all the speed of a flying arrow as they made for the cavern exit, and Alister's frightened breath came in a sharp gasp. He had obviously not been expecting to go at the speed they were flying.

The three of them ducked as Jou just barely avoided scraping his back on a nearby ledge and his large wings instantly started to flap the moment they were clear of the mountain. They gained even more momentum as they ascended above the rain clouds at nearly breathtaking speeds. Not one of the humans could open their eyes without cold, wet air assaulting and stinging their vision.

At least they were on their way, Marik decided, shivering in the cold air. The faster they were back at the lair, the faster he could get warmed up and get answers to some of the more pressing questions that had come up in their conversation.

_You won't like the answer I give you when I can speak freely._

And then the sound of laughter began echoing in his ears, a warped sound accompanied by the brief memory of cold lavender eyes—_his eyes_—and a smile that sent a thrill of fear up his back—

Valon noticed Marik's sudden shudder and called over the wind, "Wha's wrong?"

"I'm fine! Worry about Alister—he's still rather weak and he could fall off!" he called when Valon jabbed him particularly hard with a finger in the shoulder. But he did not turn around to show them his face, because then they'd see just how troubled he really was.

The laugh he'd heard had come from _inside_ his _mind_.

And as warped as it had been, that had been his own voice Marik had heard just now.

* * *

><p>Téa and Yami had only been in the camp for literal minutes when the sound of Jou's wings beating the air above them broke the silence, and Tea shielded her eyes against the loose grass and fallen water being kicked up by the gusts of wind Jou was creating.<p>

At the sight of a soaking wet Valon and Marik, however, the greeting on her lips died and a scowl replaced the smile. "You boys get over here by the fire this instant!" she barked, grabbing each one of their arms and starting to drag them to the fire beneath the shelter of a nearby awning. "You are _freezing_, both of you, and you're getting out of those clothes this instant!"

Marik, who seemed oddly distracted and subdued, did not fight against her. Valon, however, pulled away from her and instead hurried over to Jou's side. When Téa turned around, it was to see the Aurosian kneeling next to a figure sitting on the grass. She released Marik (who seemed all too eager to get away from her) and instead went to Valon. "Is that…?"

"Alister? Yup, sure is, love, 'n' I think 'e's out of it at the moment," said Valon, eyeing his older friend with some concern. The man was pale-faced and leaning against the dragon with visible exhaustion. Jou was also looking down at Alister, just as worried. "Jou took off pretty fast 'n' I reckon Alister wasn' ready f'r tha'. I know 'e doesn' like heights—"

"He climbs trees if it means he can get a better shot with his bow and arrow," Téa retorted. "He can't be that afraid of them."

"You've _clearly_ never ridden on a dragon's back when he's going top speed," Alister growled, one of his eyes opening.

Valon grinned, as did Jou. "Perfect, you survived! 'ow are you doin'?"

"Never again," came the responding snarl, and Alister directed a furious glare at the dragon. "I don't care if you're the king of all Chronas, _never again_, do you hear me?"

Jou gave him a look that plainly said _No promises._

Once Tea was assured that Alister was all right she allowed Valon to help him up before grabbing the both of them by the arm. "Alister, I have no idea how you got here, but you're coming over to the fire with Valon. Then all three of you are going to change out of those clothes and into something warm. You'll catch your death of cold."

Alister smirked at her. "Wouldn't be the first time I've died today, to be honest," he said darkly, catching her off guard.

Yami raised an eyebrow. "Indeed. It seems you have quite the story to tell, if what I'm seeing is any indication," he said.

The red-haired man started, for Yami had appeared directly in front of him. He recovered seconds later and said, "I need your help, as much as I hate admitting it."

"Yeah," piped up Valon, who had just joined Marik by the fireside and was gratefully accepting a warm blanket from Tea. "Look, Yami, Alister's gagged or summat like that and—"

"I know," replied Yami evenly. "I can see the residual magic from the gag spell. The spell has been lifted already. You've been free of it for some time, Alister."

Valon stared, as did Alister. "'ow? I thought you needed a wizard t' break spells—"

For the second time in the space of a few seconds Yami interrupted the Aurosian. "Did Alister's heart stop beating? Did he stop breathing? Or is the declaration he made moments before only an exaggerated statement designed to push away concern?"

Alister and Valon remained silent, waiting to see where the conversation was going.

"The moment his heart stopped the spell lifted. Magic cast on living creatures have no hold on the dead. Even though Alister yet lives, the spell broke the moment Alister's heartbeat ceased. The only way for the spell to keep its hold on Alister is if the sorcerer re-casts the spell," Yami explained, sounding just a tad too patient.

Alister started, looking up at Jou with dawning realization. "Then that means…I can tell you all what's going on, can't I?" he said, and before anyone could reply he said without preamble, "Jean Claude is not the real prince."

A hush fell over the clearing. Marik, who had been accepting a bowl of warm broth from Téa, looked up at that. Téa was staring at Alister with something close to surprise, while Valon's jaw dropped open.

Alister, on the other hand, seemed perfectly happy by what he'd just said. "Oh thank heaven, I can talk freely now. I couldn't earlier—speaking about anything that involved Jean Claude's plans would result in everyone aside from me getting hit with nasty green lightning. That's including Elya and the princess, by the way."

Jou let out a strangled whine at that, his eyes lighting with something close to panic. Alister glanced up at him and said quietly, "I don't believe her dead."

"So then who's the prince?" asked Valon. "It's not me, last I checked. Sure isn' Marik, and Jou? Well, 'e tried t' take a bite outta me b'fore 'n' 'e also attacked Mai, so it can' be 'im either."

Jou grimaced, the shudder causing his scales to ripple, and the dragon looked away. Alister gazed at the dragon in some disbelief and said, "_You_ attacked Mai? I honestly thought a bear had gotten her that night."

"What happened that evening is no fault of Jou's," said Yami, and the tone he had adopted allowed no room for contradiction. "There is no way to protect yourself from an attack you cannot see coming."

The sound of rustling bushes caught their attention and the group looked to the far side of the clearing just as a white-haired man stepped into view. At first they thought it was Bakura, but then they took note of the slightly large brown eyes and the silver hair pulled back into a ponytail at the base of his neck.

"Ryou, you're back!" said Téa, and then she promptly scowled as she took note of his sodden appearance. "And you're just as soaked through as these guys. Come over here by the fire this instant!"

Ryou gave her a tired smile as he started forward. "Believe me, a nice warm fire is exactly what I want right now," he said. "I've been traveling all night in the storm."

Marik straightened up and rose to his feet. "Where have you been, anyways?" he demanded, relief lighting his features. "You pulled a complete vanishing act. Does Bakura know you're back?"

Ryou grimaced. "He does," he said wryly, tapping his temple. "He's already expressed his, ah, displeasure at my departure."

He sobered, however, and looked to Yami. "I've got a message for you," he said to Yami, holding out a rolled piece of parchment. "It's from Princess Mai and it's very urgent."

As Yami took the parchment from him Ryou's eyes wandered to where Valon was watching him, and then his gaze landed on Alister. He paled almost immediately at the sight of the redhead. "You're…you're _alive_?" he asked, stunned.

Alister raised an eyebrow. "Gee, I'm fine. Thank you for asking," he retorted sarcastically.

"Princess Mai told me you had died." Ryou looked shaken, sounding almost breathless. "She had heard from Prince Jean Claude that you had died. In fact, she thought Bakura had something to do with it."

Valon started. "Wha'—but Kura's been 'ere this whole time!" he said. "'ow could 'e 'ave been responsible f'r Alister's condition?"

Alister shook his head, a dark chuckle leaving him. "Well, if you're trying to cover the fact that Jean Claude ordered me to be killed you look for any avenue to redirect the blame. It's also entirely possible Mai was in on the whole thing—I'm almost positive she knows Jean Claude's a fake prince and yet she's done nothing about it."

Ryou's eyes widened, while Téa and Valon both shot Alister identically stunned looks. "_What_?"

But Jou instantly starting shaking his head violently. A cacophony of sound—whines, growls, and snarls—escaped Jou's throat as the dragon's tail slapped the ground, nearly knocking Téa off balance as the earth trembled under her feet. Jou was clearly trying to speak, but was failing spectacularly.

"Calm yourself, Jou," said Yami evenly. His eyes went to Alister and he asked, "Can you be certain she is directly involved in this plot you've implied?"

Alister gave him a clearly exasperated look. "No, but I couldn't very well ask her either. My best friend's wife and a helpless, sickly princess would pay the price if I asked—two innocent lives taken all for a question isn't exactly a fair price. Her actions, though…"

"I see." Yami glanced at the parchment in his hands. "I suspect there is a good deal that will be explained in this letter she's sent. Perhaps reserve your judgment of her for a while longer, Alister."

The bushes rustled again and the group watched silently as Bakura pushed his way into the clearing. At their startled looks he rolled his eyes. "Well don't stop speaking because of me, you idiots," he said irritably.

The thief's eyes then went to Marik, an unidentified emotion lighting his eyes. "You. Ryou brought back company and I don't think he noticed that we left them behind. Go get them."

Marik made a sound of protest. "Are you kidding me? I'm not the one who brought them here and I'm soaking wet. I'm trying not to catch pneumonia," he said indignantly. "What do I look like to you, a dog that plays fetch?"

Bakura arched an eyebrow and then tipped his head to the forest behind him. "Woof."

Marik scowled at the thief and promptly began muttering, his words a curious blend between Enterran curses and mutters the group could understand as he stormed out of the clearing.

Téa shot a disapproving glare at the thief. "Why send Marik, Bakura?" she asked. "He's soaking wet, he's half-frozen, and he needs to get out of those clothes. Why does _he_ have to go get your guests?"

Bakura scowled at her. "I don't answer to you, woman," he said flatly, brushing past her. Noticing Yami's own gaze, his scowl deepened. "And I don't answer to you either, Yami. You'll see soon enough why I sent Marik off."

Yami shrugged. "Very well then," he said. "Who am I to meddle in your business?"

Bakura shot him an annoyed look but did not say anything in reply.

Yami tipped his head to the fire. "In the meantime, we will wait until Marik's return before we discuss the situation at the castle any further. Alister, I understand you are concerned for those at the castle, but Marik _is_ involved and we cannot continue without him," he added, noticing that Alister was about to begin protesting.

Téa and Ryou both jumped, looking slightly alarmed at Yami's words. Bakura did not comment, though his eyes narrowed, and Valon shot a puzzled look to the Enterran spirit. Jou, on the other hand, lowered his head and growled.

"There is an explanation coming, believe me," Yami continued heavily in response to the looks on the faces around him. "And out of all of us here, Marik is among those who will be the most impacted by what I say."

* * *

><p>Marik stormed through the forest, nimbly climbing over fallen trees or their roots as he moved through the almost silent woods. "Woof, he says," he muttered angrily. "I'd actually have stayed, except he's proven before he's not afraid of tanning my hide with Shadow magic—and it's tan enough as it is. It's bad enough that I'm finally going crazy and that I'm hearing voices in my head. Now I've been demoted to a bloody <em>babysitter<em> for some idiots who got themselves lost in the woods."

He passed a sapling tree and shoved a branch out of his way, but as he strode forward the branch rebounded and slapped him in the face. He yelped and stumbled, tumbling down a small hill and coming to rest in a ditch. He snarled an Enterran curse as he held his face, his eyes watering beneath his fingertips.

"Marik! Marik, are you all right?"

He lifted one of his hands at the familiar voice, hastily sitting up and trying to force his watering eyes to focus. "Sivya?"

In the next second someone was hugging him tightly and he yelped again, nearly knocked off balance by the hug and completely caught off guard. "Sivya, it's nice to see you too," he said with a small laugh, catching sight of familiar honey-hued eyes.

While her presence was not enough to banish his foul mood, he could not help but smile. One winter he and Ryou had gotten separated from Bakura in a sudden but vicious blizzard, and Sivya had opened her door to them until the storm had passed. He liked the girl well enough, and shortly afterward he had started stopping by her home whenever he was in the area, and soon enough they had become friends.

"I thought you'd gone to Enterra with your brothers, though," he said, a troubled note entering his words. "Don't you usually take your sheep to Enterra this time of year?"

"My brothers have already taken the flocks and I will join them soon enough, but…" Sivya glanced over her shoulder. "There were those who needed my help before I left."

Marik frowned at that, following her gaze. He had not noticed it at first because he had still been reeling from being slapped in the face by a tree, but though his vision was still blurred he could see two others keeping back at the edge of the small clearing. He frowned, trying to pull them into focus. They were Enterran, a man and a woman, but beyond that he could not tell much about them.

"Well then, let's go," he said, gently pulling out of Sivya's hug and heading back to the hill he had just fallen down. "I'm completely soaked through and there's a fire waiting back at Bakura's lair that I'm dying to go back to. Watch out at the top of the hill, there's a tree out for blood up there—"

"Marik."

Marik stopped so suddenly at the woman's voice that he staggered, nearly falling over. His eyes widened to an almost impossible size and he felt the color draining from his face.

It had been _years_ since he had heard that voice. It had deepened, of course, because its owner was no longer a young girl, but it was the same voice that he had listened to for the half of his life—a voice he had never thought to hear again.

He whirled, his vision suddenly clearing as his gaze went back to the other two Enterrans, and his breath hitched as his eyes took in the woman's appearance: blue eyes, tanned skin that was not as dark as her those of her countrymen, and a gleaming gold necklace that hung just above her collarbones.

Ishizu. That was his older sister, he knew it was her. And if that was his beloved older sister…then that meant…

His eyes caught the movement of the man beside her and his frightened eyes locked onto a far too familiar face, the left half of the other man's face covered in scars. But they weren't ordinary scars, Marik knew, because on closer inspection he would see text written in ancient Enterran—similar to the scars that marred Marik's own back.

Rishid.

His arms started rising and falling helplessly as his eyes darted back and forth between them. Marik wanted to run to them, to embrace them and never let go, but every muscle in his body had locked and betrayed him. Effectively, he was paralyzed.

If he wanted to be honest, however, he was staying where he was because he genuinely did not know what to do. So many years had passed between them, so much time had been lost—and it had all been his fault. It had been because he had been so selfish that his siblings had suffered.

What could he say to them? Marik had gone over what he would say to his brother and sister should he even find just one of them, but now the moment had arrived and Marik found that he simply could not speak. The words were trapped in his throat and would not come forth.

Ishizu stepped forward silently, her arms lifting and spreading out in a welcoming gesture. Her facial expression was that same picture of serene dignity that he remembered from his childhood, but her eyes were suddenly far too bright. "Marik," she said again, and her voice shook for the briefest of moments.

That was all the invitation Marik needed. A sound very close to a sob tore from his throat and then he was practically flying across the clearing, barreling into his older sister seconds later and throwing his arms around her in an almost bone-crushing hug. He buried his face in her shoulder just as a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around the two of them. Marik's legs buckled and the three of them sank as one to the ground.

Someone was speaking in almost a hysterical babble, the voice oddly muffled, and it took Marik a moment to realize it was his own sobbing voice, alternating between Enterran and English: "I'm sorry, it was all my fault. I'm _sorry, so sorry_…"

But almost in unison his older siblings were gently shushing him, their voices just as choked with emotion as Marik's was, and Marik gave up trying to speak and burrowed into the first embrace he'd had with his siblings in years.

There was so much to make up for, so much to be said and so many things to explain to one another, but Marik was content enough to stay where he was for just a few minutes.

He had his family back. Nothing else at that moment mattered.


	30. Bearers of Ill Tidings

_Well surprise, the new chapter is actually out in a somewhat timely fashion (two months is better than, like, eight). Kohaku has gotten better at posting, given her very busy schedule. _

_Thank you so much for all the reviews and concrit you've been giving—seriously, it's overwhelming at times. Reviews make everything worthwhile and I hope I continue to garner your praise._

* * *

><p>"Where the devil is he?" Jean Claude said with a low snarl, keeping a watchful eye on where Mai was currently gushing over a new dress. He'd arranged for royal merchants to stop by the throne room in order to entertain Mai (he had not missed the way her eyes had lit up while they had been touring Hermos).<p>

The storm had started to abate and a light drizzle had just started, casting a fine gray mist on the castle grounds. This was perfect, for their wedding was taking place in less than two days; chances were that by that afternoon the sun would be out and the wet ground would start to dry. Perfect weather for the perfect occasion, he decided happily.

That thought led him to his current predicament. With the wedding coming fast he wanted to keep his future bride entertained, but he also wanted to know that nothing could throw a figurative wrench in the works—and the one person he needed to assure him of that fact had suddenly vanished in the night.

The servant girl looked more than nervous at the question and wrung her hands anxiously. "I-I don't know," she stammered, paling under Jean Claude's furious expression. "He made it more than plain that he does not desire anyone to bother him."

"What good are you if you can't even perform your duties, Miho? I asked you to keep an eye on him," he snapped impatiently as the girl ducked her head. Jean Claude growled under his breath and dismissed the frightened girl, who looked more than happy to be finished discussing Ishtar. The servants were mortally terrified of Ishtar to begin with. It did not surprise him at all that the servant girl knew nothing of where the elusive Enterran could be. Probably out sulking because he had not gotten his way, Jean Claude thought sourly as he glanced back to Mai.

The woman looked over at him and waved at him, her amethyst eyes sparkling with happiness. "Aren't all these gowns exquisite?" she cooed, holding up a purple-hued dress with white and black trim. "You really must tell me how you befriended such amazing merchants!"

Jean Claude beamed at her, his annoyance at Ishtar forgotten. He would track down the Enterran later—right now, there was a certain princess that needed his attention.

* * *

><p>Bakura cast a glance in the direction Marik had gone in nearly ten minutes ago and after a few moments bent down to the ground. Something small and black slithered up his arm, coiling around his wrist; it remained there for only seconds before it sank back into his skin. He'd sent that small Shadow after Marik to make certain that the Enterran found his way—if it had not returned he would have known something was wrong. "Seems like he found them," he announced flatly.<p>

Téa looked up at that comment. "Found who?" she inquired.

"You'll be seeing them soon enough," he retorted, stalking over to the fire. As he passed, the warm flames flickered as if a cold wind had blown on them. Noticing that Ryou was still in sodden clothes, however, his eyes narrowed. "And why haven't you changed into some dry clothing yet? Getting sick will not be allowed."

"There aren't any spare clothes for me, Bakura," he replied patiently. "Kaiba's dragons have seen to that. If Yugi were around I'd ask him to cast a drying spell, but he's clearly not here now."

Téa had been passing around steaming bowls of stew to the others at the fire, but she turned at Ryou's comment. "Actually, he's getting stronger. While we were at the Turtle shop Yami cast a fairy light without realizing he'd done it," she said.

Alister paused. "That's good news," he murmured. His eyes went to Yami and he said, "How long do you think he'll take in fully returning?"

Yami shrugged. "It depends. Certainly his presence is much more prominent than it was in weeks past, yet he's not replied to any of my calls," he said simply. "When and how Yugi returns is up to him."

Alister sighed, then burrowed into the blanket around his shoulders. He was still rather cold and in spite of the fire he and the others around him had not even come close to drying off. "I wish I had spare clothes to change into," he muttered. "I'd like something that fits better."

"Why _are_ you wearin' one o' Raph's shirts anyways?"

Alister's flinch was barely noticeable as he held up his arms, waving them at Valon pointedly. "Hurt too much to wear anything else. One of the older guards—Jethro—put a hole in the cuff of each of the sleeves and then used rope to create slings for my arms."

"…Oh."

Valon paused, remaining conspicuously silent before suddenly snapping his fingers. "'old on a sec," he said, and then jumped up. The blanket around his shoulders slipped off, pooling at his feet on the ground. Valon took a step forward and nearly stumbled into the fire before recovering his balance.

"I know you've never had the best of luck with fire, but please don't fall in," Alister remarked dryly.

"Aw, you _do _care."

"Hardly. You're wet enough right now to put out the fire. I'm still trying to warm up."

"Nice t' see your priorities are all sorted out," came the annoyed retort. Valon moved around the log and towards the nearest awning, bending down and rummaging in a messenger's bag. He took out a bundle of clothing and padded back to the fireside with them, dropping them unceremoniously into Alister's lap. "'ere ya go."

Alister lifted up the clothes and started. "These are mine," he said with visible surprise, looking to the Aurosian questioningly. "All right you little weirdo. Why do you have my clothes?"

Valon shot him a small grin. "A little while back one o' Kaiba's dragons was blastin' dangerously close t' your 'ouse. I figured I'd save some of your things while I was in that neck of the woods—oh! I even 'ave your spare bow," he added, holding up the wooden bow and the fur-lined quiver. "I lost mine when I fell in the river couple months back…at least I think I did. I don' rightly remember 'ow tha' happened. One minute 'm fishin', next I'm on the bank 'n' I'm all sore."

Alister's face darkened. "I know how. Don't worry too much over it right now," he said when his younger friend shot him a puzzled look. "I'll explain it to you in private later."

The Aurosian gave him a small salute before bouncing off and starting a quiet conversation with Téa (presumably trying to get more stew from her). Ryou leaned over and pulled a second blanket around him; as he moved he reached for two sticks, creating a cross and then draping a third blanket over them before setting it near the fire. Marik had not yet returned from whatever errand Bakura had sent him on and it would be nice to have something warm to wrap around his shoulders when he came back.

Alister eyed the weapon he had been handed and propped the quiver on the log nearest him. He rose to his feet and studied the arrows for only seconds, and then suddenly sprang into motion. In one smooth movement he bent down, caught an arrow between his index and middle fingers, straightened up, nocked the arrow, and before he let it fly he gave a loud, piercing whistle.

While very few people had registered what Alister was doing, Valon had been trudging back to the fireside. At the sound of the whistle he almost immediately froze in place, caught comically in mid motion. Téa and Ryou both let out startled cries when the arrow flew in Bakura's direction, but at the last second the thief lazily sidestepped it and watched dispassionately as the arrow lodged itself in a tree beside him.

"What was that for?" cried Téa with some indignation. "You could have warned us you were in a mood to shoot at us!"

When Alister ignored her and instead frowned at the bow, Valon waved to catch her attention. "Wha' do you think tha' whistle was for, love? Tha's all the warnin' you get—trust me, I know. You 'ear that whistle, you stop where you are."

"Even if the arrow is coming at you?"

"_Especially_ if it's coming at you," said Valon seriously. "No matter wha's goin' on around you, even if you've got a snarlin' dragon 'bout to bite you in half, the second you 'ear tha' whistle you stop where you are."

Ryou was looking at the lodged arrow in the tree, half-rising from his seat. "So what was Alister aiming at?"

Bakura grunted, pulling the arrow from the tree and showing them the orange butterfly that the arrow had gone through. "I'd wager this was his target."

"Not quite." Alister looked annoyed. "I was aiming for its body. I only got the butterfly's wings."

"Oh no, what a disappointment. Next time, aim at something that's not in my direction—I don't play nice with those who shoot arrows at me," said Bakura coldly.

"I don't play nice with those who endanger my friends either."

"He joined on his own. The little twit wouldn't leave."

"You didn't exactly try to make him go away, now did you?"

"Ryou wouldn't let me kill him."

"I suppose I should thank Ryou for that," Alister said flatly. So saying, he bent down and caught the bundle of clothing Valon had given him earlier and promptly made his way to a nearby ladder. "I'm getting out of these clothes," he announced as he started climbing, disappearing into the tree house above them. "Give me a couple minutes."

Yami had been remarkably quiet for the past few minutes, and when Téa looked at him she discovered why: Yami had opened Mai's letter and was silently reading it. Jou had spotted this as well and was leaning over, trying to read what was on the parchment, but Yami calmly moved out of Jou's range. "Patience, cursed child," he said mildly, not looking up from the letter. "When Marik returns you will hear the contents of this message and—_ah._"

Ryou and Valon both looked up at the sound of Yami's triumphant voice and they exchanged puzzled looks. Bakura raised an eyebrow and asked, "I take it that she said something that's caught your interest?"

Yami nodded. "The maiden was smart enough not to rely on word of mouth alone," he said simply. "She wrote something that will greatly help us later."

Valon groaned. "More cryptic answers. C'mon, Yami, it's gettin' old. Can' you at least specify wha's goin' on?"

"Not until Marik gets back," was the patient reply.

Alister, who had been climbing back down the ladder, paused at that. "Where is Marik, anyways?"

* * *

><p>"You're cold."<p>

Marik looked up at Rishid, his eyes meeting concerned golden ones. The three of them were still sitting in the forest clearing, though they were no longer embracing. Even so, Marik was sandwiched between his siblings and each of his hands held one that belonged to his brother and sister. "Well, yeah," he said, suddenly sheepish. "I've been dunked in a pool and in a river this morning."

Rishid released Marik's hand and shrugged out of the cloak he had on, and before Marik could protest the older man wrapped it around Marik's shoulders. "You will become sick if you do nothing to warm yourself," he chided.

Marik tried not to laugh as he burrowed into the warm cloth. Rishid had not changed in the amount of time that he had been gone; he was certainly tougher looking, but he still behaved the same way as he always had. "Bakura didn't exactly let me stay by the fire to warm up. Now that I know why he sent me off, though, I can't say I'm mad at him anymore."

"We've already encountered him this morning," said Rishid, and there was no disguising the dislike in his voice. Marik again had to repress a grin—Rishid had not trusted Bakura when they'd parted ways and it was evident he still did not.

Ishizu had seemed almost content to remain silent in the company of her brothers, but at Rishid's words her smile faded. She still did not speak, but Marik gained the impression that there was something she wanted to ask him.

Marik's eyes went to Sivya, who also seemed displeased by Bakura's mention. "And I take it Bakura didn't exactly warm your heart either?" he asked wryly.

"I try to avoid disliking anyone, but I still find that I can't make myself enjoy that man's company," she said. Though she seemed uncomfortable to admit it, there was no mistaking the finality of her tone. As an afterthought, she added, "He caused Ryou to collapse."

"Given that Ryou snuck away a couple nights ago without telling anyone where he was going, I'm surprised that Bakura didn't do anything worse," Marik replied.

"But it was an important reason that he snuck away!" Sivya insisted. "And if he hadn't left, then he would have never gone to Hermos and we would not have bumped into him!"

Marik frowned, sitting up straighter. "Hermos?" he repeated. "What was Ryou doing there? That's a major city and the Thief King is well known there. It's a dangerous place to go."

"We are not sure of the reason," said Ishizu quietly. "He only told us that he had an errand to run while in the city. Ryou was not the one who found us, however—a young woman guided us to him."

"Young woman?"

"Yes—I believe she was a Thystian princess."

Marik stared. "_Mai_ helped you?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, that was her name. You sound surprised by that, Marik," said Ishizu with an amused smile.

Marik shook his head. "I shouldn't be. She told me she'd redirect you towards me if she got the chance to do so. I didn't believe her…I owe her an apology, then," he muttered, grimacing.

He looked at his siblings then, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. "I didn't think I'd find you together," he admitted shakily. "I said it enough times that you would stay together and wouldn't allow yourselves to be separated, but as the years passed I started saying it more to reassure myself."

Ishizu's eyes softened, as did Rishid's. "Marik…"

"I looked everywhere for you," he said softly, his voice cracking. He cleared his throat, but there was still a wobbly edge to his voice. "I looked every chance I got. Every slaver's caravan, every market place that dealt in slavery, every place I could think of I went—and yet I couldn't find you."

"We were taken deep into the mountains of Metheren," said Ishizu quietly. "A scholar and his granddaughter who were studying ancient cultures encountered our caravan by chance. They bought our freedom when they learned of our predicament, and Rishid and I have been in the north until recent months. Bakura has only started traveling that far in the past year. You wouldn't have known where to look."

"But it's my fault it happened!" he burst out. "If I'd just stayed underground, if I hadn't tried to defy the laws of our forefathers you wouldn't have—!"

"It would have come to pass, regardless of when or how it happened."

Marik jerked violently at the blunt statement, staring at his sister with wide eyes. "What?"

"The tragedy of our clan. Marik, if it had not happened at that moment then it would have happened later, no matter which path you took," she said firmly. "The Tauk has shown me all the outcomes. The one that has happened already is the optimal of the paths we took. Compared to what I have seen, I would rather keep our past the way it is.

"For that matter, Marik, what happened was not entirely your fault. Yes, you decided to break our clan's rules, but Rishid and I did nothing to prevent your actions. We too bear blame for the tragedy of the Ishtar clan."

She hesitated, then straightened up. "No matter the outcome, however, one thing has remained constant in the visions shown to me by the Tauk. It pertains to you, little one."

Marik scowled. "I'm not so little anymore, sister," he muttered, earning a small laugh from Ishizu. He glanced at his sister and then asked soberly, "What did the Tauk show you?"

Rishid and Ishizu exchanged subtle glances before they rose to their feet. They helped Marik regain his feet before Ishizu turned to Sivya. "Forgive me, Sivya, but this is a matter we must discuss with Marik in private," she said gently. "Go ahead of us to Bakura's lair."

"I don't know where it is," began Sivya slowly.

Marik came to her side and gently gripped her shoulders, steering her to the small hill that he'd fallen down. "Climb the hill and then turn left at the small oak sapling at the top. From there you'll see a small path. Take it and go straight the entire way," he explained, pointing over her shoulder at the tree at the top. "It takes you straight to the hideout."

Sivya shot him a worried expression and Marik gave her an encouraging smile. "Go, Sivya," he said. "I'll be all right. I'm with my family again, and it's thanks to you in part that I have them back."

Sivya smiled in return and, after hesitating one more moment, began climbing the hill; she was only a part of the way up when she paused, then came back down. Marik barely had time to process this change in her course before she had given him an impulsive hug.

"I'm happy to see you're all right," she said softly in his ear. "Whatever the outcome of this conversation may be, I'm still glad I could help you reunite with your beloved family."

Marik awkwardly returned the hug, very much aware of his sibling's eyes on his back. He pulled out of the hug and gently redirected her back to the hill, and he waited until she had gotten out of sight before turning to his siblings. Noticing his sister's amused gaze, he turned pink.

"What's that look for?" he asked.

"Sivya spoke much of you on our way to the lair," the woman said simply. Rishid also seemed to be hiding a smile when Marik turned to him, and then he realized the reason behind their smiles. He promptly scowled.

"Stop thinking that, you two. I'm a thief on the run from the law, she's a shepherdess, it wouldn't work," he said flatly.

Ishizu gave him a knowing smile. "If you say so."

Marik's scowl faded as he gazed at his siblings. The conversation that followed would more than likely pertain to what had happened that day in the catacombs. He could not say that he did not dread such a conversation, for he had no idea what was going to come. "So why did you have to send Sivya away?" he asked then.

Ishizu's smile vanished immediately. The composed and serene look on her face flickered and he caught the tell-tale sign of doubt and hesitation. "Marik," she began slowly, "this conversation will not be an easy one. I must warn you now."

Marik dipped his head to acknowledge the comment, waiting for his sister to continue.

"I start this conversation with a question," she said. "How much do you remember of Father's death?"

Marik looked away at the memories that almost immediately began replaying in his mind. The years that had passed since that day had been many, but the images in those memories had not been forgotten. "I remember enough."

"That is not what I asked of you, Marik," his sister said. "Marik, do you remember killing Father?"

Marik's eyes slitted. "No," he answered, starting to bristle as his fists clenched. "No, I don't remember murdering him. To be honest, I don't want to. He might have been a psychopath and he nearly killed Rishid that day, but he was still my father."

"What _do_ you remember?" This time it was Rishid who asked. His eyes were alight with sympathy and understanding. "Forgive us for asking such an insensitive question, Master Marik, but there is something that must be confirmed and your honest answer is needed."

Marik flinched under his brother's even gaze. "I've told you before not to call me 'master'," he said sullenly.

"Old habits die hard, Master Marik."

Marik remained silent for a few minutes as he looked at the ground, forcing back the waves of horror and guilt that rose within him. "I remember finding Rishid in the Item room, tied down and unable to get away," he said monotonously, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible. In the silence of the clearing, however, he might as well have been shouting. "Father had taken up a sword and was heating it up before pressing it t-to Rishid's back. From the state of things, he'd been doing that ever since he had discovered our absence."

He did not need to look up to know that Rishid had just flinched.

Ishizu's eyes flickered, but her composed expression remained. "You do not have to tell us of the events leading up to Father's death, little brother," she said gently. "We know of what happened then. I asked about the death itself."

"I told you then and I tell you now, Ishizu," he snarled, anger suddenly rising within him like a coiled snake. "How many times to I have to repeat myself? I don't remember how Father's blood got on me, I don't remember stabbing him, I don't even remember how I got a weapon to begin with. Notice a general theme here? I don't remember!"

"Marik—"

"_I don't remember!"_

At the last three words, however, it was not his furious, frustrated voice that spoke—the same warbled voice that had laughed menacingly through his mind that morning had just torn from his throat. At the sound Marik stiffened in horror, his eyes rounding in a suddenly pale face as one of his hands lifted to his neck; his fingers rested lightly on the golden choker that shielded his neck, but he could still feel a frightened pulse beneath his fingertips.

He turned an alarmed, searching gaze on his family. Did they notice it? Had they heard that sound come out of Marik's throat, as he had? Their faces, grim but resigned, told him they had—they knew something about it that he did not.

"What happened?" he asked then, his voice a strangled whisper. Whether he was asking about his voice or about that fateful blood-soaked day in his childhood was something he could not say. All he wanted was answers. "Don't tell me that you don't know what happened just now—your expressions betray you both," he added, noticing the hesitant aura that had settled on his siblings.

"…It is difficult to explain, Marik," began Ishizu at last. "It is not something trivial that happened all those years ago, and even now we have only snatches of a real answer. We have, at best, theories and suspicions."

"Tell me," Marik said sharply. "I don't care if you don't understand your own answers. What is going on? I've got _voices_ laughing in my head, Ishizu, you can't just stay—!"

It was Rishid's calm voice that caused Marik's angry words to halt. "That day in the catacombs marked the death of Fa—of Master Ishtar," he said. Marik's eyes narrowed in anger, but not at Rishid—their father had been remarkably cruel to Rishid over the years and even now their eldest sibling could not call the man _father_. "It also marked the creation of a monster, an entity born from Shadow."

At Rishid's words Marik sucked in an audible breath—a hazy memory had come to the forefront of his mind. It was badly fragmented, but he caught snatches of images that had almost been entirely forgotten and he focused, willing his mind to reform the memory.

_A small hand that gripped the oddly heavy Rod. White hot pain that coursed through his hand and up to his skull at the touch of the cool gold. His knees hitting the sand, his hands clutching at his head. An altogether new pain, deep within his body, that made him feel as if he'd been ripped in half. _

_Laughter, cold, warped, evil laughter all around him. _

_The world flared into a far too deep shade of red before the darkness took him._

He looked away from Rishid, suddenly aware of the answer. He knew then what had happened to his father—he knew how the man had died. "This monster…I summoned it from the Shadows with the Rod, didn't I?" he asked heavily.

A large hand rested on his shoulder, the touch gentle and bracing. Marik automatically lifted his own hand and gripped Rishid's hand, seeking some sort of comfort from this new knowledge. There was still the mystery of the Rod's disappearance, but perhaps that was a question his siblings did not know the answer to.

"Marik…you are only partially correct."

Ishizu's morose voice caused Marik to violently start and his head shot up sharply. His sister's eyes, though pitying, held a tired resolve. She seemed to know that her words would affect Marik terribly.

"What, then?" he asked almost breathlessly. "How am I only _partially _correct?"

Ishizu looked over both of her brother's heads, as if seeking solace from the forest around them; Marik did not disturb her, for though he desperately wanted answers a part of him feared the reply he would get to his question. His sister—his steadfast, always composed sister—was _afraid_ to give her answer. That alone spoke volumes.

At last, her gaze went back to Marik and he could see her steeling herself for the answer she was about to give. "The entity from the Shadows, Marik, was not something you summoned—it was something that you created. It _is_ you, for lack of a better explanation."

Marik felt the air leave him, the sound of the forest around him blanketed in abrupt silence as his horror, his fear, and his disbelief rose within him. _"What?"_

* * *

><p>Ishtar cocked his head curiously, tilting his head to listen to something only he could hear. He straightened up abruptly and turned around. "Ah, so he knows," he said pleasantly. "I was wondering when he'd remember. It's been so long, Little Marik. I was growing tired of waiting."<p>

He cast a bored gaze over the interior of the simple hut he was in, his eyes settling on the hapless villager he'd bound and silenced with Shadow; the man's eyes were wide in his pale face and through the Shadows came the frightened pulse of the man's heart. Ishtar could feel it, of course—he _was_ the Shadow, after all.

Jean Claude had no idea where he was. That suited Ishtar just fine, as he was growing tired of Jean Claude's "master plan". All the wild cards had been removed from the game. The captain was restrained, the princess held no memory, and neither the thief nor the wizard would come to the castle on their own. It seemed like the game would end on a rather boring note.

He would have to find a way to remedy that particular problem.

"Such fear, old one. Do you think me to be a devil?" he asked carelessly, turning his attention to the man. "If you could speak, you would call upon your deity to save you. That will not spare you, I'm afraid."

The elderly man's eyes widened even further as Ishtar advanced slowly on him, a muffled cry leaving him as the Shadows tightened around him; this was not Ishtar's first victim of the day, but even so the terror rolling off the man in waves never grew old. Even now his prey's eyes went to the door, as if hoping someone was going to walk in at any moment.

Ishtar's grin grew. "Do you believe to have a chance of rescue? Dismiss it, old one."

Shadows flared out from beneath Ishtar's feet, creeping along the walls of the hut and swallowing everything in a blanket of darkness. His captive shrank away as best as he could manage, his old heart beating even faster.

"Now I'm certain this question has come up in your mind: why? Why is this happening to you?" he continued lazily, unsheathing the dagger from the Rod. "What did you do wrong?"

The man shied away as Ishtar continued to advance on him.

"Well, old one, the truth is that you were chosen at random. I was bored, you see. Things at the castle have effectively stalled at the moment and I find myself completely at a loss as to what to do for my spare time. Terrorizing the populace keeps me mildly entertained," he explained casually. "I don't even know your name, nor do I care to learn it. Nothing personal."

His grin broadened and he lifted the dagger over his head, earning a piteous and muffled wail from his victim. "Now, old one—let's play."

* * *

><p>When Marik and his siblings finally arrived at Bakura's lair a subdued air hung all around the three Enterrans, one that Sivya and the others did not fail to miss. Of course, Marik was still overjoyed to have his family together and with him once more, as evidenced by his introduction to the others and by the exuberant, almost child-like smile that had settled on his face; there was a brief moment of alarm when his siblings saw Jou, but they were assured the dragon would not cause harm by Sivya, who had seen him when she'd arrived at the camp before them<p>

Despite Marik's suddenly cheerful behavior and his denial that there was anything amiss, there was a strange shadow to his eyes and whenever he felt no one was watching his grin would fade and his shoulders would slump. Bakura and Yami noticed it straight away and their eyes followed after Marik whenever he moved, one expression calculating and the other unreadable. The younger Enterran was all too aware of the twin gazes being directed at him, however, and took to using Rishid as a screen to shield him from view.

As Marik, his siblings, and Sivya were all still thoroughly drenched and were coming close to collapsing in exhaustion, however, they were directed to the fireside to warm up; Tea procured even more blankets and made certain that each of the four was thoroughly covered by a blanket. After having a bowl of steaming broth placed in their hands—all lacking meat, in recognition of Enterran beliefs—Tea finally sat herself down next to Yami, shooting him worried looks.

Aside from Marik's borderline behavior, Yami himself was drawing concern. Although pale to begin with, his skin was growing still whiter and he seemed to be suddenly exhausted; at this point Yami's skin was almost transparent and shadows were dark beneath his eyes. He had not risen when Marik had come into the camp, nor had he opened his eyes—if not for the way his head would incline in the direction of voices, most of them would assume he was sleeping.

Only minutes after they had gathered around the fire, however, Bakura's eyes locked onto Yami. "All right, everyone's here," he announced shortly. "Yami, I find that my patience is growing thin. Read the letter you've been hiding."

Yami did not open his eyes. "I believe you have made it clear the maiden's affairs are not your business. Why are you so interested in her letter?"

"I want to see what Ryou risked his life for and you've already read the letter," snapped the thief angrily. "It better have _very_ _important_ information inside it, Yami."

Yami's eyelids lifted at that, his red eyes flecked with purple; there was no hiding the bone-deep weariness that now cloaked his body. "You seem to be rather insistent to bully an answer out of me, Bakura, but I answer on my own time."

Yami's tired gaze sharpened as his eyes landed on Ishizu was wearing and he straightened up. "I did not introduce myself when you entered the camp earlier. Welcome at last, Ishizu, daughter of the Ishtar clan. You may call me Yami," he said, dipping his head in her direction.

Marik stiffened and leaned forward in his seat to put himself between the woman and Yami, his eyes narrowing. She gently rested a hand on his shoulder and some of the tension eased, but there was no disguising his distrust. The other man, noticing Marik's behavior, gained a frown of his own and also leaned forward.

"Be at peace, both of you," said Yami calmly, the traces of a command in his voice. "I bear your sister no ill will."

Ishizu murmured something soothing in Enterran and both of her brothers leaned back, but all three siblings were watching Yami intently.

"I assume that Princess Mai has had a hand in your reunion?" Yami questioned, though it seemed he already knew the answer to his own question.

Jou's head shot up at Mai's mention and a startled whine left his throat. Rishid, Sivya and even Ishizu started violently at the motion, not yet used to the dragon's presence; Jou lowered his head and managed to look sheepish when he saw the reaction he'd caused.

Marik directed the scowl at the dragon and snapped, "I don't know what you just said, but I'm guessing it's about Mai. Stop scaring everyone, would you?"

Ishizu turned her gaze to Jou after she had recovered. "So you're the reason behind the Shadow game she was playing," she mused, and Jou stiffened at her words. "The last I left her, she was confused but unharmed. As far as I can see now, she is still alive."

"Shadow game?" Ryou sat up in alarm, as did Valon. "Mai was playing a _Shadow game_?"

Bakura snorted as he twirled a dagger in his hand. "I'm surprised you didn't notice, Ryou. Even Yugi could see it," he commented.

"Yugi's always been gifted with magic, of course he'd see it first," said Ryou. "Why didn't he say anything about it?"

"If he had, it would have triggered the Penalty game and the maiden would have been lost," stated Yami calmly.

Ishizu's eyes next went to Yami, meeting his red-eyed gaze before her attention focused on the Puzzle. "You know my name and you wear the Millennium Puzzle," she said, a question hanging in the air between them.

"There are no others who can bear the Tauk," said Yami. "As for your name, Marik spoke of you often over the years. I understand there are questions that must be asked and answers that must be given, but you have come at a time where there is much going on. For now, my attention must regretfully remain to the task at hand."

"Your 'task' pertains to Princess Mai," she said evenly, her fingertips brushing against the Tauk. "I find it troubling. Before last night I could see her future, but now…it is as if her fate is being blocked from the sight of the Tauk."

"I suspect we have a common enemy, though I do not know his identity," Yami replied. "He attacked my vessel weeks ago and took control of the dragon—all marks of a Shadow wielder holding the Rod. The same one who is blocking the sight of the Tauk is the same who threatens us."

"Not to interrupt the riddle contest going on over there, but I don't have time to waste, Yami," said Alister flatly, looking as if he was going to rise to his feet. "I've got other places to be."

"I told you to at least wait for Mai's letter to be read," Yami said, and the first note of impatience colored his tone. "I understand your concern for those at the castle, but you must place it aside for now."

Yami turned to Ishizu and then said, "Forgive me, but the impatience of others dictates what my immediate actions must pertain to. I would like to continue our discussion in the near future."

"If you wish it," she replied simply, and then she took a step back to come alongside Marik.

Yami reached into his cloak and then lifted out the parchment Ryou had given him. With one wave of his hand the paper flew to the center of the clearing. It was hovering in the air on its own, much to everyone's surprise, and the edges began glowing with a faint, purple light.

"It would be best if we heard this in Mai's own voice," he said absently, though the effort of using magic was costing him valuable energy. "I find I do not have the energy to read it on my own."

"I thought you could only use Shadow magic, Yami," said Marik with some surprise. "You're using a spell that doesn't require Shadow magic to cast."

Yami shot him a small smile that seemed to say _I know something you don't._

No one had time to ask Yami for an explanation, for a familiar voice started reverberating through the clearing; though Mai was clearly not present, Jou's head shot up so quickly that his neck popped with the sound of a falling tree and the dragon whined in startled pain.

_"Hey guys. Long time no see. Actually, I suppose I can't see you right now, can I? Great, now I'm rambling. Guess that game rattled me a lot more than I thought it did._

_"I'm using precious time to write this, but it's incredibly important that I get this letter out the door. There's a lot of ground I have to cover in a short amount of time and I can only give brief explanations, so my handwriting is completely horrible. Sorry in advance to whoever's reading this—hopefully you understand._

_"Marik, you've got major issues to take care of. I know you don't like royalty and castles and anything pertaining to nobility, but you need to swallow your anger and get up here. There's a guy who calls himself Ishtar and he's carrying the Millennium Rod—he also looks like you. He claims he _is_ you, if that makes any sense…honestly, it seems like he's similar to Bakura and Yami._

_"Good news, though. I found your siblings—both of them—and they should be on their way there. With any luck they get there the same time this letter does. I'm not such a villainous princess after all and who knows? Maybe they know something about Ishtar that I don't."_

All eyes were drawn to Marik, shock mingling with confusion; aside from his older siblings, the only ones who did not seem troubled by the news were Yami, Bakura, and Alister. Marik, on the other hand, looked as if he wanted to sink into the ground. Rishid placed a comforting hand on his younger brother's shoulder before giving everyone a pointed look, at which their gazes moved elsewhere. Now they understood why Marik had seemed so troubled when he had returned.

Alister was one of the only ones who were still looking at the younger Enterran. His lips were pressed in a thin line. "Did you know he existed?" he asked, something cold in his voice.

Marik shook his head, golden earrings clinking against his face. "No. I didn't know until Rishid and Ishizu told me this morning," he said quietly. His eyes lifted to meet Alister's. "That's what you meant when you said that I wouldn't like the answer, isn't it?"

Alister's eyes shifted to where Valon was standing before looking back to Marik. "Do you think he peered into your own thoughts without you knowing?" he continued. "He attacked Valon at one point to get at us, and he's also got Elya locked up somewhere in the castle. Those are things about us that he couldn't have known about unless he was here."

Marik gave a helpless shrug. "It's possible he can. I can't tell you much about him because I didn't know about him, but if he's got a similar connection to me that Bakura and Yami have with Yugi and Ryou…well, I can't say what he's capable of."

"And this Marik look-alike would explain how Kaiba came to believe I attacked his dragon," said Bakura flatly, his eyes narrowing. "It would not take much to conjure a doppelganger of myself using Shadow, and Kaiba's dragons are too stupid to understand the difference. They smell Shadow magic on me when I come close, they scented Shadow magic the night of the attack. They wouldn't understand that it was someone else orchestrating the attack on the kit."

Valon had paled at Alister's words, but he'd remained silent until Bakura had finished speaking. "Wha' are you on about bein' attacked?" he snapped indignantly. "I'd think I'd remember some loony tha' looks like Marik targetin' me with a Shadow item."

"You told me earlier that you had no idea of how you'd ended up on the riverbank, nor of how you came to be so battered a couple months back," Alister said, an edge to his words. "You don't remember how that happened because Ishtar took control of you with the Millennium Rod. He—"

Alister abruptly broke off, looking away; there was a pained grimace on his face and he shook his head when Valon glared at him. "You're better off not knowing."

"So that night at the Turtle Shop Jou attacked Mai because Ishtar made him," said Téa in realization, looking up at the dragon with an encouraging smile. "See, Jou? It wasn't your fault after all!"

"Ishtar's also the reason I killed my father," Marik said grimly, causing Téa's smile to falter. His lavender eyes went back to the parchment, which had fallen silent in the amount of time that they had been talking. "Yami, you can resume. We can talk about this later."

Yami's face remained impassive, but there was an unidentified note in his words when he spoke. "I am sorry, Marik."

"Yeah, sure," Marik said brusquely, though his shoulders slumped. Sivya hesitated and then came alongside Marik, taking one of his hands and giving it a reassuring squeeze. Yami waved his hand again at the parchment and the letter glowed once again.

_"Bakura,"_ said Mai's voice, and everyone's attention returned to the paper in the clearing. _"I understand now why you took me when you did. You could see the Shadow magic, couldn't you? And yes, you weren't responsible for what happened to Kaiba's baby dragon. Ishtar framed you for that—Jean Claude's got a sword fashioned from White Dragon scales, as I've told you before. Remind Kaiba of that and point him in Jean Claude's direction when you get the chance._

_" I'm still not sure whether to count you as an ally or not, to be perfectly honest, but I did promise you maps of Enterra. I'm including my seal in this letter, so take it to my home in Thystia and those maps will be given to you—though now that I think about it, you'd better have someone else get them for you. Also, don't yell at Ryou for leaving."_

"Too late," muttered Bakura irritably, scowling at a suddenly too innocent-looking Ryou.

_"Valon…I'm sorry. I couldn't keep your friends safe and alive after all, and it's a lousy way to repay you for saving my life—more than once—while I was in the forest. Even though I stopped them from being executed for disobeying Jean Claude in the forest, Alister was unstrung and he was killed shortly after I arrived. The blame was pinned on Bakura, but don't you believe it if you hear that. Raphael…well, I really don't know what happened to him today, but based on what Jean Claude told me at dinner the chances are he's gone too."_

Alister and Valon simultaneously paled, eyes widening in fear. The Aurosian abruptly started forward, stopped only by Ryou catching his arm at the last second and murmured something, but they all could hear the jerkily spoken retort of "'m goin'. I'm goin' up there _right now_, don' you tell me t' stay put—"

"Valon, there will be time to return to the castle," said Yami, and despite his sudden exhaustion they could still hear the silent command. "We _will_be going there within the next few days, but you must remain here until then."

"Tha' bloody git's gone and killed Raph, I am not stayin' 'ere any longer!" Valon burst out angrily, blue eyes lit with fire. His accent had noticeably thickened. "First Alister nearly dies, now it's Raph. I won' stay 'ere anymore, I won'—!"

"The maiden only said that there was a _chance_ he was slain. She never specifically told us that he has departed this world," Yami cut over him sharply. "Again, boy, I ask that you remain here."

Valon glowered silently, but he stepped back after pulling himself free from Ryou and sat next to Alister. The mutinous expression on the two young men's faces did not disappear, however, and Alister's hands were clenched tightly around his bow.

Yami waited to see if there would be any further outburst before he waved his hand at the letter, which once more began to glow.

_"Speaking of apologies…Jou, I owe you the biggest one of all. I finally remembered."_

Jou whined, halfway rising at the miserable note punctuating Mai's words.

_"You were trying to tell me from day one that something wasn't right. You kept trying to get me to remember and you kept me safe while I was out here in the forest. You asked me to trust you, to help you, you even reached out to me when you saw me in the castle that night, and…and I let you down. _

_"Jou, I can't even articulate how _sorry_ I am. I knew something wasn't right about you attacking me, but I let my fear cloud my judgment. I told Ryou to tell you to see me next new moon, but now I'm afraid I'm pulling back that offer. If my plan doesn't work out—and there's a huge possibility that it won't, considering that I'm still thinking it through—I won't remember you when you come up here. I don't want to hurt you any further, so please stay back. I'll do what I can for Shizuka to keep her from any further harm—you have my word._

_"That brings me to the final person I need to talk to. Yami, you also knew of the Shadow game and you said nothing about it. You did what you could and you have my thanks, but you've also asked plenty from me and others. Now it is my turn to demand something of you. _

_"Yugi is a wizard. I don't know how healthy he is at the moment, but he can cast spells. You told me once that you needed Jou's full name to break the spell—and at the moment, I've got all my memories back. I would rather say it in person than rely on a letter, as there's a risk that this letter will be intercepted and you may not even get it at all, but I'm a trying sort of person. Here's to hoping._

_"His name is Prince Jousef. J-O-U-S-E-F. I know, weird spelling. Jou hates it, but that's his real name. Use that to break the spell on him. I don't know what Ishtar is going to do now because I beat the Shadow game, but he might take it out on Jou and I don't want that to happen. You owe me that much, Yami._

_"After I send this letter Vivian will leave Hermos to ride for my cousin's castle. She'll tell him what's going on and with any luck Duke acts on what she says—I don't want a lot of attention going to Hermos when it's so vulnerable, and while everyone seems to have either forgotten Jou or they don't know Jean Claude's a fake I know enemies of his kingdom would leap at the chance to strike while Jou's away. Help will come to Hermos in the next few days, barring any unforeseen circumstance._

_"I'll see you around, with or without memories."_

The paper stopped glowing and fluttered gently in the wind, already falling toward the still-wet grass. Jou let out a soft, miserable sound and his massive head bent down, carefully catching the parchment in his teeth and lifting it back into the air; he deposited the parchment on one of his massive palms and gazed down at it with a forlorn expression.

"Prince Jousef…_prince_?" asked Valon, some of the anger fading from his face to be replaced with disbelief. He jerked a thumb up at the dragon. "Tha' bloke's royalty?"

"He is," said Alister grimly. "Don't doubt it. He's the real prince of Hermos—Jean Claude is just some phony, cowardly ex-lord with a superiority complex."

"But how could that have happened?" asked Sivya, a worried frown marring her features. "Certainly it would take more effort to depose the proper prince, and someone outside of the castle has to have noticed a false prince."

Alister shrugged. "I don't know why no one else has commented on it. I'd say it was a result of memory spells, but Jean Claude is no sorcerer. He doesn't have the resources to enchant an entire kingdom to forget, to say nothing of those outside the kingdom who know Jou's true identity."

"If Dartz is working with him he does have the resources. There is no spell on the citizens of Hermos, however—Yugi would have sensed such immense power gathered in one place. The citizenry genuinely do not know who their true prince is," said Yami, turning his back on them and leaning heavily against a tree.

Almost everyone shot the shorter man varying looks of surprised disbelief. Rishid was the first to speak, looking particularly troubled. "How can a kingdom be unaware of their ruler's identity? I know little of royal families, but even so I do understand that is not something you wish to admit not knowing," he stated.

Yami did not turn around and his voice carried an odd sound to it, bordering between Yami's confident assurance and an overly worn out tone. "That will be explained at the proper time and only with permission from the one that question pertains to."

Ryou frowned, sitting up as a thought occurred to him. The blanket around his shoulders fell around his feet."Wait a moment. Yami, you said that someone had to speak Jou's full name in his presence to break the spell. We've said the name 'Jousef' several times already, and yet nothing's happening. Jou's still a dragon."

"Oh that would be far too easy," said Bakura drily, catching everyone off guard. "Yes we have his true name, but just simply speaking it…considering how complex the spell is to begin with, you can understand it would not have such a simple way to break it. Clever that she spelled the name out."

"How so?"

"There are plenty of young men in the region named 'Joseph', but only one that has such a unique spelling to his name. Spelling the name would allow a wizard to guarantee the counter spell would affect only the dragon, but using the name must be spoken in conjunction with the spell," finished Bakura, leaning against the tree.

Yami was keeping his back to him, and when he spoke that strange note was stronger in his voice. "Curiosity compels me to ask, thief. When did you come to know so much of magic?"

"Ryou hangs around the little wizard all the time. I read Ryou's memories all the time. Hard to miss certain details pertaining to magic, considering that little fact," came the wry explanation.

"Well wha's the problem, then? Cast the spell, Yami, so we c'n get Jou back t' normal and then we can go to the castle!" said Valon impatiently, but both Bakura and Ryou started shaking their heads.

"We've said it often enough, Valon. Yami is a Shadow wielder. He does not know how to wield Yugi's brand of magic," said Ryou tiredly. "He _can't_ break the spell on Jou, not without using Shadow magic—and given how many curses are woven into the one spell keeping Jou as a dragon, you can bet that using the power of the Millennium Puzzle would only hurt Jou."

A long and morose silence fell then, marred only by the sound of chirping birds from above them. The rain had stopped falling and rays of sunlight were starting to pierce through the clouds above them; the light caught the raindrops that were still clinging to the ground, lighting the droplets in a myriad of color.

"…Well, that's true."

Téa stiffened and her head lifted sharply, turning to face Yami and halfway rising out of her seat at the tired, familiar voice that spoke. Gathering at the base of Yami's feet were roughly a dozen glowing orbs of light, the almost translucent butterfly wings clearly visible within them; as they watched the balls of light began moving around the clearing, catching the sunlight dappling through the trees and creating a beautiful kaleidoscope of light in the clearing.

"Yami can't cast regular magic—but I can."

By now everyone was staring at Yami, who had somehow seemed to shrink while their focus had been on the floating lights. Téa's mouth had half-opened and her eyes were wide and hopeful as Yami turned to face them—but then they all saw that the red eyes had returned to its original violet hue and seemed larger, more innocent than Yami's slanted eyes.

Those who understood what had just happened carried expressions that ranged from surprised to delighted to stunned disbelief; those who had only just recently joined the group still gained the impression that some long lost friend had just returned, and then there was also the glaring fact that Yami was no longer present. A single glance at the shorter wizard was more than enough evidence that someone new was present—someone who had been absent for almost six weeks.

Yugi offered a tired wave to the stunned looking group. He was clearly still recovering, as evidenced by his still gaunt features and far too pale complexion, but he was still standing before them.

"Hi, everyone," he announced with an exhaustion filled smile. "It's been a while since I've been in my own body. If I fall over or trip over air, feel free to poke fun at me," he added with a gentle laugh.

The oddly menacing aura rising from the Millennium Puzzle at that comment served as Yami's silent warning to do just the opposite.

As Yugi's eyes moved around the clearing at the large group his smile gained an apologetic air. "I'm sorry if I worried you all, but I'm glad to say that I'm back."


	31. Trap of the Orichalcum

_HA! Updates twice in the same month, getting better at this!_

_So I had an original plan behind this chapter, and then that plan was bodily chucked out the nearest window and I ended up with this chapter. You guys are definitely going to have a WAIT WHAT moment (**SO DON'T SKIM**). Trust me, there is an explanation coming in a future update, but you'll have to make due with what happens here. Besides, if I gave everything away at once that wouldn't be much fun at all, would it?_

_*prepares to dodge thrown projectiles*_

_Once again, thanks for your reviews! I'm happy for all the praise and the concrit I'm getting - I hope I continue to meet expectations, haha!_

* * *

><p>Yugi had no sooner finished speaking when Téa practically flew to her feet and enveloped the shorter wizard in a crushing hug. "You're back!" she cried, looking overjoyed. Her eyes were just a little too bright if one looked close enough. "When you collapsed I was so afraid, and then you disappeared and—and—oh, I'm just happy you're okay!"<p>

Admittedly, Yugi had been caught off guard by Téa's almost instant reaction to his appearance (though he was also rather pleased, as evidenced by the healthy blush that colored his cheeks when Téa embraced him), but he recovered rather quickly and ended up giving her a hug as well. "I'm sorry," he said again, smiling up at her. "I tried to get back as soon as I could."

"We don't hold anything against you for taking your time, Yugi," Ryou assured him. "We were certainly worried, yes but we understood why you were taking so long to heal."

Téa released him and Yugi took a moment to straighten up. His eyes wandered the clearing, his gaze starting on Rishid and ending on Alister. "Well, there are certainly a lot more faces here than I last remember," he remarked.

"And yet you're not entirely surprised to see us," said Ishizu with a raised eyebrow.

Yugi laughed. "Yami's been keeping me in the loop when he can," he explained. "I'm pretty much up to date on current events, though I do have a few questions here and there. I can ask those later—right now, I've got a curse to break," he said, looking over at Jou.

The dragon immediately shook his massive head with a sound of protest. He was not the only one bothered by this announcement—Ryou and Marik both started to speak at once, while an alarmed expression lit Téa's face, but it was Yami's own voice that cut over everyone.

"Yugi, I cannot allow you to endanger yourself in this fashion," he said, rematerializing in the air beside him. He was barely visible at this point, but his voice carried through the clearing.

"I have no other choice, guys," said Yugi, holding up a hand. "I know I've been gone for a while and my core's only just barely healed itself, but we can't delay any longer. Jou's running out of time."

"Wha' do you mean?" Valon asked, shooting the dragon a glance. "Jou looks fine t' me."

"He looks fine, but he's not. The spellwork lines are thicker than they were the last time I saw him," Yugi replied, giving Jou a worried look.

At the baffled expressions being shot to him Yugi gave an embarrassed laugh. "I can't really explain it, but maybe this will help," he offered, pulling out a bag from the belt on his side.

He poured a measured amount of white sand into his hand, murmuring something under his breath. A portion of the sand flew from his hand and formed into a miniature version of Jou; the sand went from alabaster white to obsidian tinted within seconds and two red dots formed Jou's eyes.

The rest of the white sand rose, forming lines in the air surrounding the smaller Jou. An aquamarine line wound itself around the tiny dragon's throat and snout, also forming a small circle with Dartz's mark on the dragon's forehead. Red lines wound themselves around dragon's arms, legs, wings, tail, and neck, while the remaining sand formed into a blue human shape that set itself squarely in the center of its chest.

"This is what the spellwork looked like prior to my unplanned absence," Yugi began. "As you can see, there's the gag spell and the curse keeping Jou as a dragon. Those are the most prominent of the spells, though there are a couple more enchantments in place. For the sake of explanation, though, I'm leaving them out."

"So that blue sand is Jou?" asked Sivya.

"Not quite—that's Jou's human mind. His memory, his human emotions, his dreams and thoughts, his morals…that blue sand represents Jou's true self," Yugi said grimly. "Without it, Jou would forget he's human. He'd turn into a mindless beast with only basic thoughts."

"You said that what we're seeing was the condition of the curses before you were hurt," said Marik, a note of unease coloring his voice. "So what do they look like now?"

Yugi hesitated, then waved his hand. He looked thoroughly unhappy as he did so. "This."

A collective gasp rose from the group as the red and green lines, which had been a decent size, thickened into almost a blanket that surrounded the sand version of Jou. The blue sand shrank in size, to the point where one had to squint to see it against the red and green that ensconced the miniature dragon.

"I've gained the impression that this change is something recent and it may pertain to Mai," Yugi said sadly. "Something's happened at the castle to change the condition of the curses—a condition of some kind must have been met, or it must be near to being met. If I don't break the curses now Jou will permanently become a dragon and he'll forget everything."

A stunned silence fell. Overhead several birds chirped and flew from branch to branch, causing a few leaves to fall. A fairy light flitted close to Téa's hand and she lifted her hand to try and catch it, only for the light to float away.

"If nothing is done, we lose Jou forever. If we do something about it, though, we risk killing Yugi," said Alister at length, breaking the silence. "Damned if we do and damned if we don't, in other words. Great."

"I meant what I said earlier. I can break the spell," said Yugi firmly, his eyes flashing. "I'll need help from Yami and Bakura, but I'm confident I can do it even with my magical core in its current state."

"Yugi, all it would take is one backlash from the curse and you'd be finished," Ryou pointed out. "You're barely standing on your own right now."

"Not all deaths have to be physical ones—what will happen to Jou is nothing to make light of," said Yugi. "As for the backlash, I can handle that as well. I'll be using magic circles to keep the backlash at a minimum, but I could use additional help. That's where Yami and Bakura come in."

The thief grunted. "And why would I help, little wizard?" he asked. "You are of no interest to me."

Yugi continued to gaze evenly at the white-haired man, then folded his arms when Bakura made no indication of changing his mind. "I'll give you any item in my shop without question if you help us break Jou's curse _and_ help take back Jou's kingdom."

Bakura straightened up, his eyes gleaming. "_Any_ item?"

"Not the Millennium Puzzle," said Yugi flatly, correctly interpreting the glance shot to the Puzzle hanging around his neck.

"I'll take what I can get, seeing how as you have quite the collection of rare magical items. Very well, little wizard, we have an accord," said Bakura. "What must be done?"

Yugi waved his hand and the sand returned to the bag. "I need you to go to the Turtle Shop. Upstairs in the same cabinet I store the orichalcum in you'll find several other bags like this. This is not ordinary sand. It's imbued with magical properties to be used in spellwork, primarily for magical seals," he explained, holding up the bag containing the sand in emphasis.

"And I suppose you want me to fetch these bags?"

"My staff as well. Yami said he left it by the door. Don't take anything else, Bakura. There are anti-theft charms on a lot of items that my grandfather cast. You don't want to be on the wrong end of those spells."

Bakura's eyebrows arched. "I despise being made into an errand boy, but it cannot be helped," he replied, and with a small burst of shadow he vanished from the clearing.

"What can we do in the meantime?" Alister asked then, his own eyes on Yugi. "Is there a way for you to find out what happened to Raphael?"

Yugi shot Alister and Valon both a sympathetic glance. "I'm sorry, guys," he said, sounding upset and thoroughly apologetic. "There are probably wards in place that prevent anyone from magically spying on anyone in the castle. I don't dare try anything, because if I do it might set off some sort of alarm. If I try physically going to the castle, Ishtar will sense the presence of the Puzzle and we'll be caught."

"There's gotta be somethin' you can do!" Valon burst out. "I mean, we're blind out 'ere! We don' know wha's goin' on up there, and we don' even know anything about Raph! Couldn' you try to break tha' gag spell on him from 'ere?"

Yugi looked thoughtful. "I might be able to. Alister's here and he's still got remnant magic on him from the gag spell," he said slowly. "I could use Alister as a focus point, but…" he trailed off, looking troubled.

"But what?" Alister asked sharply.

"If Yugi tries that approach, there's a risk it could trigger that gag spell on Elya and Raphael, to say nothing of what will happen to anyone else caught under it," said Marik grimly, understanding the reason behind Yugi's hesitance to answer. "I've seen what it can do, thanks to Jou. He nearly died when the spell was activated and it was only because Yami intervened that he's still with us. Do you really want to take that chance if it means killing your friends?"

"…No." Though Valon still looked upset there was a resigned note to his reply.

Yugi waved to catch Alister's and Valon's attention, and when they looked up at him he said, "I'll find a way to help you. I promise. All I ask is that you stay here and trust me."

"Your word is the best we can rely on," said Alister quietly after a moment's pause. "You've never gone back on it and you've pulled through in the past when you're needed most. We'll do as you say—for now."

Yugi brightened and offered them an encouraging smile before turning to the others gathered in the clearing. "All right, I need help," he announced. He pulled out a piece of paper from a pocket in his cloak and opened it up, showing them what was on it.

A large circle filled the page, drawn in green charcoal; there was a smaller circle within it that was connected to the larger outer circle by lines drawn in green charcoal. Four smaller circles were drawn onto the larger green ones in red charcoal, each facing north, south, east, and west; triangles were drawn into these smaller circles with golden runes lining each of the three sides. All four of these circles were bound together by white runes, outlined in pale blue ink. Surprisingly, there were no smudges on this paper—Yugi had done something to the charcoal to prevent it from marring the drawing.

"Wha' on earth is that?" Valon asked.

"This is something I've been working on for a long time now. I've only recently gotten it to work, though. It's a spellbinding circle," Yugi said, smiling at the paper happily. "This is in part the answer to the backlash from Jou's curse. Another part of this is a magic jamming circle, which I'll use once Bakura returns with the sand. That one's a little more ornate and I'd rather not have a drawing of lying around, so I'll draw that one out myself. When these two circles are combined it will keep Jou inside and it will also cancel out most of the backlash, if there is any."

Ryou gave a low whistle, visibly impressed. "A magic jamming circle to prevent any outside spells from disrupting your counterspell, so if Dartz or Ishtar are watching us they cannot interfere. Add a spell binding circle to the mix and the backlash should be almost nonexistent," he said.

Marik still looked doubtful. "And you're sure these circles will work?" he asked. "You'll only get one chance."

"There's still room for error, but not much," Yugi replied, looking confident. "We need to empty this clearing because I need as much room for these circles as I can get. I'd use magic, but right now I need to save as much energy as possible—maintaining this many circles is going to be taxing."

"Of course we will help," said Rishid, rising to his feet before anyone could react. "What is it that you require of us?"

Yugi started, caught off guard by the sudden reaction, but he looked grateful. "You're Marik's older brother, Rishid. Am I right?" he asked. When Rishid nodded Yugi smiled. "I'm happy to see you, by the way. I'm also glad to see that your sister is with you. You two can stay seated if you like—you've had a long journey. Alister, you almost died this morning, so you should rest as well."

All three of them shook their heads. "I'm fine, Yugi," said Alister, speaking first. "I can help."

"We offer our assistance as well, young one, but I do thank you for your concern," said Ishizu graciously.

Yugi nodded, then turned to Sivya. "Sivya, Yami wanted to talk to you in private. Could you come with me in a bit?"

Sivya looked startled at being addressed (and Marik gained a suspicious look to his face), but she nodded and rose to her feet. Once she had joined Yugi's side the shorter man looked to everyone remaining in the clearing and began to speak.

"Alister, Valon, Marik, put out the fire and move the cauldron away. Ryou, you and Rishid shift the firewood and the logs everyone was sitting on to a different place.

"Once that's done, I'll need Ishizu and Téa to mark out the design that's on this paper with rocks and sticks. Everyone else bring rocks or sticks. Ladies, when you are drawing out this circle I ask that you do _not_ close the outer circle. That is vitally important, because if it's closed the circle will activate. Jou, you just take it easy—you're going to need all the strength you can get.

"All right, guys, that's pretty much all I need done," said Yugi, looking suddenly sheepish. "I'm sorry for all the orders, but—"

"We know, Yugi, no worries," said Valon, the semblance of a grin on his face. "Do what you gotta do, boss."

Yugi smiled back as he strode to Téa, giving her the parchment with the design on it. He returned to where Sivya was waiting and led her to the edge of the clearing, watching everyone start on their assigned tasks for a few seconds before turning to her. His smile faded as he looked up at her.

Sivya was about to speak when she noticed that Yugi's eyes had turned red and the shorter man suddenly seemed taller—Yami was once again present. "Yami?"

"I'm about to ask you to do something that is incredibly dangerous," he began tiredly. "I'll say this now: you are more than welcome to refuse my request. Not even Yugi knows of my request. I will not be angry if you say 'no', for what I would have you do has a steep price to pay for failure. If you are captured, no one will come for you, no one will save you from your plight—you _will_ be killed if you are caught."

She paled.

"Can you pay such a price, Sivya?" he asked then. "Are you willing to risk everything to help someone who needs you?"

A long pause fell. From behind Yami came a startled yelp and Valon started waving his now-on-fire boot frantically, with Alister and Marik both snapping for the younger Aurosian to remain still as they tried to put out the fire. It was bizarre in a way, Sivya mused, that such humor could take place while the gravity of Yami's words hung in the air between them.

"Sivya?" His eyes were watching her intently for a response.

She turned her gaze to the shorter man and then lifted her chin. "What would you have me do?" she said bravely.

Something strangely close to triumph and relief flashed across Yami's features as he led her from the clearing. "Come with me. I only have a small portion of time to explain what you must do before Bakura's return," he said quietly.

* * *

><p>"Lord Duke! Lord Duke!"<p>

His name, Duke decided then, was rather irritating when used in such a manner. He had no idea what his father had been thinking in naming his son after a title of royalty when he had been _born_ into it—then again, his father had also gone insane and at one point even donned a bizarre clown costume. At least he had not been saddled with a stupid name.

"I've been over this before," he sighed, looking over at the man who had just run into his chambers. He had just gotten done dressing, thankfully. "Master Duke, Your Highness…I'm the lord of Devlin, so you might as well call me Lord Devlin. I'll respond to _anything_ except 'Lord Duke'."

"Forgive me, but there's a situation at the gates. A young woman arrived minutes ago—it appears she rode through the storm, for her horse is close to collapse and the woman fares not much better," came the worried reply.

Duke raised an eyebrow as he finished tying his vest closed. He pulled his hair back into its customary ponytail. "David, I'm sure there's a point behind this. I've just woken up and I'm about to get myself a late breakfast," he replied, pushing past the other man to leave the room.

"The woman appears to hail from Xhiaoren and she claims to be your cousin's lady-in-waiting," called David after him.

Duke had not registered what had just been said until he was halfway down the hall. When he did, however, he turned on his heel and returned to where David was standing. "Where is she now?" he asked sharply, his annoyance vanishing to be replaced with worry.

"We stabled the horse and the woman was taken to a spare room. She passed out when she arrived, but not before telling us that she carried an urgent message from Princess Mai. She told us that it was a message only for your ears," David replied. "A healer is seeing to her even as we speak to try and revive her."

"Where is she?"

"It's a spare bedroom nearby the main hall. It's small, but we were concerned for her and decided to place her in a comfortable room—"

Duke did not allow David to finish, instead striding down the hall with long, hurried steps. David, noticing that the other man was practically running, started jogging after him to keep up. "What does this mean?"

"Something's happened in Hermos, that's what it means. Vivian would never willingly leave my cousin by herself," he replied shortly. "For her to be here means that something has gone terribly wrong."

* * *

><p>Bakura materialized outside of where the Turtle Shop had formerly been with barely a sound, the Shadows swirling around him. Several birds took off into the sky at his presence, fearful of the Shadow magic. He eyed the blank space where the building had been dispassionately. "You could have warned me that you were guarding the shack with Shadow magic, Yami," he muttered with a scowl.<p>

His Millennium Ring began to glow in response to the Shadow magic present and he sighed, rolling up his sleeves. "Yami, I'm either going to have to break down the barrier or you're going to have to lift it. If I break your barrier, though, it will harm Yugi."

This was not true. Bakura knew it would affect Yami more than it would the wizard. What Yami did not know would not hurt him, though, and if Yami was somehow watching this was the best way to take down the barrier composed of Shadow magic.

There was a pause, and then the air in front of him rippled and warped. A small opening appeared and then the Turtle Shop came into view through the hole moments later. Bakura smirked—that little trick would come in handy in the future, he decided.

He stepped through the hole and watched as the Shadows closed back over to hide the shop from view. Once the hole closed he easily made his way into the shop and up the stairs, barely sparing a glance for any of the other items. It was not difficult to find the cabinet upstairs that Yugi had spoken of and he opened it with a careless flick of the fingers. He glanced at the ornate box that he knew held the shard of orichalcum in it and he paused, frowning at it thoughtfully.

Orichalcum was not something easy to find. He did not trust Dartz, not in the slightest, but the power of the orichalcum…he lifted the lid of the box and studied the small stone sitting on the pillow. Would it truly be so bad, he wondered, if he took it? It would likely enhance his Shadow magic, that was for certain.

_Would you care to try my power, O Mighty King?_

Bakura retreated a step at the sound of the aristocratic voice that rose from the stone, his eyes slitting as he glowered at the stone. "I draw the line at wielding sentient items, thanks," he said flatly.

He grabbed the seven large sand bags and affixed them to his belt, but he wavered when he was about to close the lid. The stone flashed again, the ethereal glow lighting the box.

Bakura studied it for a few more minutes before he closed the lid and started downstairs. Perhaps he would ask Yugi for the orichalcum as his price for helping.

It was a thought, anyways.

* * *

><p>"Where do you think Bakura is?" asked Marik with a frown, looking around.<p>

The group had finished setting up the circles and had been awaiting Bakura's return. Sivya had quietly left while everyone had been working, but when he was asked Yugi only had said he was not certain where she had gone. He had seemed genuinely concerned about his answer, which implied that Yami had been involved somehow; it seemed Yami had blocked Yugi from seeing what he was doing. Marik and his siblings were bothered by the response, but there was not much anyone could do—as Sivya was already gone no one could call her back to find out why she had left.

Yugi paused in what he was doing. He had been reading the story book that Téa and Yami had brought back from the shop, which was why he had not been paying attention, but at the comment he looked up. "He should be at my shop, but you're right. He's taking too long to come back," he said. He looked over at Ryou and asked, "Is there a way to get in touch with Bakura?"

"No need for that, little wizard, I'm right here," Bakura said irritably, stepping into the clearing. "It took so long because I couldn't get out of the bloody shop. I got in easily enough, but I couldn't get out. You neglected to tell me that you were guarding the shop with Shadow magic."

Yugi blinked. "I was?" he asked, surprised.

"Yami did that some time after you fell," Téa said. "Castle guards were going to the shop to try and arrest Yami, so after he dealt with their first visit he put up the barrier."

"Dealt with…" Yugi trailed off and tilted his head, listening to something only he could hear before he gave a tired sigh. "If you say so, Yami," he muttered.

He turned to Bakura and said, "Did you bring what I asked?"

"Oh darn, I left those items at the shop. Of _course_ I got them!" came the annoyed retort, and Bakura held up the bags in his hands to show Yugi. As an afterthought, he pulled out a staff from behind his back and tossed it carelessly at Yugi.

The shorter wizard caught it and beamed at the thief. "Thank you, Bakura," said Yugi as Bakura set the bags down on the ground.

"So what are you going to do now, Yugi?" asked Alister, watching Bakura step backwards. "I fail to see how sand is going to help."

"Well…again, I'd best show you rather than explain. Everyone, stand clear of the circle," said Yugi. He waited until the others had retreated a safe distance away from the circle drawn on the ground before he lifted his staff over the now-open bags. "_Creao."_

The sand rose from the bags in thin threads and flew through the air, forming the lines that Ishizu and Téa had outlined earlier. The sand encased the sticks and stones, creating perfect lines. It remained white in color, however.

Valon gave an impressed whistle. "Tha's cool," he said. He frowned and tilted his head. "Shouldn't it 'ave changed color, though?"

"Once I close the circles it will," said Yugi. He lifted his staff over the bags, once again speaking the command. More sand rose and formed two circles above the outline of the spell-binding circle, runes starting to spell themselves out in the edges of the circles above them. An intricate web of lines began forming inside the circle.

Yugi then waved his hand in a downward gesture and the sand in the air dropped on top of the spell-binding circle, both circles closing simultaneously. Instantly the sand flared to life, reds and golds lining the magic jamming circle and the spell-binding circle; the remaining white sand gained a pale blue edge to it as the runes lit up in the center. Yugi's eyes remained on the sand, his hands flicking minutely to make last minute adjustments before he looked over at the others.

"You've got to close the circles at the same time," explained Yugi with a weary smile. "Magic jamming circles prevent any magic from escaping the circle, while spell-binding circles hold an individual in place. If I tried creating one circle separately from another Jou wouldn't be able to enter the circles at all."

The dragon rumbled uneasily, eyeing the glowing circles before shooting Yugi an uncertain glance. Yugi smiled up at him encouragingly before turning to the others behind him. "I'm about to start, but once I do you can't stop me under any circumstance," he warned them grimly. "If I break concentration…well, let's just say that we'll be down two people."

Téa started at that, looking visibly worried, but a reassuring smile from Yugi kept her from moving. "I'll be careful, Téa," he promised her, his eyes softening. "Don't worry."

Yugi then turned to Jou, who had risen to his feet slowly and was eyeing the circles warily. "Jou, I can't guarantee this will be painless, but you have my word that I'll do everything I can to keep you safe," he said solemnly.

After taking a deep breath, Yugi stepped forward and set the bottom of his staff on top of the outer circle. Light rose and illuminated the circles, casting eerie shadows on the ground; above them, the sunlight dimmed and the animals in the clearing fell silent.

"Prince Jousef of Hermos, you have my permission to enter the circles I have created," Yugi said, and everyone jumped at the powerful, authoritative voice that echoed through the clearing. "Enter when you are ready."

Jou hesitated, staring at the glowing circles. He hated to admit that he was scared of anything, but the last time he had been exposed to this amount of magic things had not ended well for him. What if something went wrong? It was not just his life that hung in the balance, but Yugi's as well—the fact the wizard was taking such a huge risk for him flabbergasted him beyond all belief.

The image of his sister's and Mai's smiling faces flew through his mind, however, and Jou lifted his head with a snarl. Those girls—_his _girls—needed him. He was no use to them in this state. They needed him to return to Hermos as a human, and if this was the only way to do it then so be it.

There were worse ways to go, he supposed.

Jou stepped into the circle with his head held high, but let out a startled whine as the first blast of resistance hit him. He felt the magic binding him stirring as the circles began to glow impossibly brighter, but he pushed through the pressure, fighting until he made it to the center of the ring. He yelped as the spell-binding circle rose over him, settling around his midriff, and then the pressure within him sky-rocketed and he let out a yell of pain.

It had begun.

Yugi gripped his staff tightly in his hands and then called out in a voice that radiated power, "_Revelum Incantatum!"_

The same lines that had appeared on the miniature dragon earlier flared to life on Jou himself, and though the dragon was starting to writhe in discomfort the spell-binding circle held him in place. Green lightning instantly began crackling menacingly along the edges, held back only by the magic-jamming circle. None of it had harmed Yugi so far and he did not flinch as more than one bolt of lightning slammed into the barrier in front of him.

By now Jou was in true pain. The pressure in his body was rising, constricting his throat and making it hard to breathe. His blood was practically boiling and growing hotter by the second, and all the while the circle around his stomach tightened; red light began shining through his scales.

"_Finite Modestus Sileo!" _Yugi called, his voice thrumming with power.

The green-tinted spell around Jou's throat began unraveling, floating in the air around Jou's neck and head. A loud buzzing began filling Jou's ears and his head began to throb in agonizing waves. He could not even scream now, for he feared that if he did his whole body would come apart.

He barely heard Yugi's voice when it called out another counterspell. "_Finite Verto Draconis!"_

Jou took back his earlier assumption—_now_ he was in true pain.

His body began uncontrollably contracting on itself, forcing Jou into a ball that was growing smaller by the second. His bones were melting and he felt as if someone was rearranging his insides. His scales began falling away, pain lighting each spot that the scales were falling from, and a pained scream, half human and half draconic, broke from his throat as his spine began to try and straighten inside the ball he was currently tucked into.

But then he felt the atmosphere around him change as dark smoke began escaping his body and he cast a watery gaze to the green spell above him. The lines that had previously been around his throat had formed into the familiar green circle that he knew was glowing on his head, something that Dartz had referred to as the Seal of Orichalcos.

_YUGI!_

The Seal flared to life and a green blast of energy slammed into the circles. Jou was swallowed by the light and—

And then nothing.

* * *

><p>Yugi had known this would not be an easy task. He'd seen how tightly the spell-binding circle had wound itself around Jou the moment the dragon had entered the circle, but even so nothing had quite prepared him for the amount of pressure that had started building up inside the barriers. It had channeled itself through the staff and his arms had trembled the entire time he'd been casting the spell.<p>

He had closed his eyes on purpose, well aware of just what would happen to Jou as he started breaking the spells on him; it had been agonizing to hear Jou's cries of pain, but if he looked and broke concentration then he would kill them both. It did not make him any happier, however.

Yugi had tuned out everyone behind him as they had watched Jou in horror, but it was not until he felt a burst of Shadow magic erupt from both behind him and from the Puzzle that he opened his eyes, his gaze landing squarely on the green magic circle spinning rapidly inside his own circles.

Thankfully he did not stop speaking the proper counterspells, but he could not have been more surprised to see the green circle shining within the barrier. Dartz must have planted a trap spell on Jou to activate only when the curse was being broken. It had still managed to activate in spite of the magic jamming circle.

If there was ever a doubt about the powers of the so-called Master of Orichalcum, Yugi no longer harbored them.

He watched in alarm as Jou disappeared from view, his voice faltering for only a second before continuing on. The dragon was obscured by thick black smoke, and seconds later an explosion of green light nearly blinded him as Dartz's spell blasted outward.

_Protection from physical harm. Protection from evil. Protection from destruction. Contain the magic, reverse its course._

The spells flew from his mouth almost instinctively and Yugi felt the charge rising in the air around him, the top of his staff alight as the spells formed a shield around the people behind him. He fought to keep the magic contained in the circle, even as his legs quaked and sweat soaked his bangs. It had been hard enough fueling the circles, and now he was fighting to contain the errant magic.

Bakura was suddenly at his side, his Ring alight as his body started to blur. Shadows sprang forth, wrapping itself in a ring around the magic circles. The Shadows swallowed it entirely, bathing almost the entire clearing in darkness and pushing everyone aside from Yugi out into the forest, obscuring their view of the circles.

At the same time Yugi felt a hand on his shoulder and energy started flowing through him—Yami was loaning him his strength. The magical pressure eased as the Millennium Puzzle around his neck began to glow.

_"_I will keep it at bay, as will Bakura. Focus your attention on Jousef."

Yugi nodded to acknowledge Yami's words, effortlessly changing the target of his protective spells as he felt for Jou's presence within the smoke; the staff he held had not only connected him to the magic of his own circles, but it also connected him to the magic binding Jou.

He felt something shove him back and he frowned. Something was obviously preventing Yugi from interfering; he could still channel protective magic and he knew Jou was still present inside the circles, but whatever was going on inside the smoke was something intended only for Jou to deal with.

Yugi's lips pressed into a thin line. He could not stop Dartz's spell, but he could offer Jou as much support as he could possibly give. He took in a deep breath and gathered his magic, quietly starting to chant in Latin under his breath.

_Protection from physical harm. Protection from evil. Protection from destruction. Protection from deception. _

_Good fortune be on his side, strength be given, guide him through the dark. __End the gag spell, end the spell of draconic transformation. End Dartz's curse and return Jousef to his true form._

_Protection from harm, protection from evil, protection from destruction…_

* * *

><p>The first thing he became aware of in the darkness was that he was no longer a dragon and no longer in pain. He noticed the black talons and felt the horns above his ears, so he knew he was currently caught between being fully human and being fully draconic.<p>

The second realization followed almost immediately after the first: he was naked.

Jou yelped and straightened up, completely flummoxed. "Clothes clothes, help, I need clothes!" he babbled, looking around him wildly. Remembering his tail, he wrapped it around his waist—he'd never been more grateful for having a tail in his life. "Sorry Ishizu, Téa, I didn't mean to…to…"

He blinked in surprise when he was greeted by nothing but darkness. He himself was illuminated, but aside from that he could see nothing else around him. "Uhh, hello?" he called, folding his wings over his shoulders. "Yugi? Alister, Valon? Ryou? Marik? _Anybody?"_

The only thing that greeted him in reply was an eerie silence.

He scowled and folded his arms, trying to hide his fear. "Oh this is great. I died, didn't I?" he asked aloud. "I knew it. I'm dead, and now I'm going to have to haunt Jean Claude for the rest of my days, aren't I? I don't even like ghosts."

An unpleasant laugh echoed around him and he yelped again, spinning on his heels. His talons flashed as he drew them and he bared his fangs. "All right, who's there?" he snarled. "I know the voices of my friends and you ain't one of 'em!"

On a sudden whim he turned, facing a large mirror that glowed in the darkness. He frowned, slowly coming to the mirror. A thought occurred to him and he grinned. "Mirror mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of all?"

He had been about to laugh when that unpleasant voice said, "Certainly not you, idiot."

Jou staggered away from the mirror in alarm, his eyes widening as goosebumps began prickling his arms. "Oh come on, no creepy ghost stuff," he moaned. "I'd rather stay cursed."

"Coward."

Jou stiffened, a growl rising from his throat. "Who're you callin' a coward?" he said fiercely, stalking forward. "I'm not about to be called names by some freaky mirror!"

He reached the mirror but gawked at the reflection inside it. "Wait…that's me…what…?"

It was indeed his reflection inside the mirror, but he certainly did not look like himself. His blonde hair was combed and neat, rather than his preferred tousled style, and he wore a black silk turtleneck with red trim. An emerald amulet hung about his neck and his large golden crown was lined with strange glowing green gems. His eyes were not their customary brown, but a deep shade of red; his skin was no longer sun-tanned, instead an alabaster white.

"…I'm lost," he managed at last.

Something moved behind him and Jou violently started, nearly falling over. Seconds later he snarled as his eyes landed on the other man standing behind him. "_YOU."_

The taller man was clothed in closed white and blue robes with padded shoulders, his sleeves cuffed and his collar raised. A long white cloak trailed behind him, his light blue hair falling just above his knees and tied at the bottom; on his forehead was a fragment of orichalcum, and sitting in the middle of his chest was a large orichalcum medallion. His eyes—one gold, the other the same shade as the orichalcum he wore—glinted in the darkness.

"It has been some time, Prince Jousef," said the man evenly, though his aristocratic voice carried a sneer. "How are you?"

"Don't talk to me like we're friends, Dartz!" spat Jou angrily, eyes flashing. "You cursed me to begin with, you freak! And what's with the mirror? Who's that supposed to be?"

Dartz's eyebrows rose. "You, obviously.

"Then you're blind. Last I checked I didn't look like that," he snapped, gesturing to the mirror. "Now where's the exit? Sooner I'm away from you and your stupid mirror, sooner I get to find you and kill you."

Dartz laughed, a cold sound that made Jou distinctly uncomfortable. "Then do not let me stop you. The only way out, however, is if you take this," he said, holding out something in his hand.

Jou craned his neck forward and then snarled as he saw the innocent looking green stone sitting in the other man's palm. "Are you nuts? That's orichalcum!"

"It will offer you a means to escape this place. It will grant you power and control over anything you desire. Orichalcum is not a gift to turn up your nose at, boy."

Jou shook his head. "I've seen what it can do, and if your ugly mug is anything to judge by I won't be taking it up anytime soon. You're just some cockamamie hallucination and I'm having nothing of it."

Jou turned away and had been about to stalk into the darkness when the cool voice behind him spoke. "So you require proof that orichalcum will better your situation."

The younger man did not turn around. "Not listening, pal. There's nothing that would have had me take up orichalcum."

"You're not a real prince."

Jou felt the color drain from his face and he stiffened, feeling as if he had just been punched in the gut.

"Ah, I got your attention there, didn't I?" asked Dartz when Jou whirled to face him, a cruel smirk playing on his lips. "I knew that would. Only you know that little secret—but orichalcum has enlightened me to your situation."

Jou managed a smile, but it was a nervous one and he could not banish the fear rising within him. "There are a couple people who do know about that," he said, swallowing hard. "Don't flatter yourself, you're not the _only _one."

"You aren't even a prince in your own kingdom. The only time you bear any semblance of a title is when you are outside your castle, and even then you must pretend to be something you are not. If you took up orichalcum your entire situation would change. You would no longer have to pretend to be a prince. You would no longer have to prove your worth to even sit on your throne."

"Yeah, and who says I like taking the easy route?" retorted Jou thickly. "Maybe I like earning things the hard way."

"I see you require a bit more convincing. Very well. Orichalcum also offers guidance, wisdom beyond your years. You would have benefitted greatly from having it prior to your curse."

"Not listening," repeated Jou angrily, almost desperately. He wished he could at least punch Dartz, but he found he could not make himself move. The older man's words were relentless and figuratively driving him into a corner.

Besides, he was no idiot. No good would come from punching a powerful sorcerer in the nose.

"Oh, but you must hear me out," Dartz replied, speaking as he would to a small child. "You are nothing without orichalcum. It was your own selfish desires that caused you to be cursed, was it not?"

Jou froze, his blood turning cold. "Wh-what are you on about now?" he said, but his voice lacked any sort of fire.

"Tell me the truth, now. You claimed you were searching for the cure to your sister's illness, but in reality you only left your castle because _you_ didn't want to be there. You would have rather stayed an ignorant peasant than to be saddled with an entire kingdom to look after."

Something hard settled in his stomach and he swallowed. "N-no, that's not…I didn't leave because of that!"

Dartz gestured to the mirror. Though the glass remained blank a voice emanated from the item. "You left all your burdens and your responsibilities for your kingdom in the hands of an inexperienced steward. He was not even close to prepared for Jean Claude to usurp the throne. Half of your servants and guards were banished because of your actions, with the remainder cursed to serve a false leader."

He paled at the familiar voice. "Tristan," he breathed, the little color in his face leaving.

Now it was Raphael's voice that echoed through the dark. "You asked a man who had been dragged away from his home if he would be the captain of the guard, even though he had no experience in such a position and even though there were others who needed him more. Thanks to you, he will never see anyone he cares about again."

"No…"Jou turned around, his frightened eyes roaming the darkness. "No, I didn't—"

"You left your little sister alone to die," said a young girl's voice—Shizuka, he realized, and his hands rose to cover his ears.

"You attacked me and spilt my blood, Jou. It was because of you I was even involved in this whole mess."

"STOP IT!" he roared, his voice cracking as Mai's coldly spoken words echoed all around him.

"You see?" asked the other man, smirking at Jou's despairing face. "Without orichalcum you are nothing but a helpless, selfish child. Your quest for a cure was ridiculous, made only because of your desire for freedom. You had as much chance of succeeding as you do by winning Mai's hand—none, in other words."

"Shut up!"

"Why, if you took up the orichalcum you would have won over Princess Mai. Even as hardened as her heart is against the idea of marriage, you would have been able to win her over."

Jou's head snapped up as Mai's face appeared in the mirror. "Leave her out of this! You think I'd resort to using some rock to—to—now you're just speaking nonsense!"

"But don't you remember? She opposes the idea of marriage."

The mirror's image changed, to a field Jou knew was located outside of Mai's castle in Thystia. His breath drew in sharply when his eyes landed on the two people sitting in the shade of an oak tree. One was a woman with long blonde hair that fell in loose curls down her back, wearing one of her favorite low-cut gowns. The other was Jou himself, wearing a simple short-sleeved green tunic with black pants.

No…not this memory. He looked away, but the voices within the mirror pulled the memory to the forefront of his mind.

_"I don't want to get married."_

_Jou started, looking over at the woman and feeling something odd constricting in his chest. "What?"_

_"My parents are trying to marry me off, Jou," she continued bitterly. "They've been trying for years now."_

_"So why haven't they succeeded so far?" he asked._

_Mai scoffed. "I set such high standards for my husband to be. As far as I know there isn't one prince out there who meets all my criteria—you know, a prince, incredibly handsome, well-built, wealthy beyond compare, and in charge of a prosperous, popular kingdom. That's not counting everything else on that list. I do want to marry one day, but certainly not on my parent's terms."_

_Jou flinched, something unpleasant rising in his stomach. He met none of the criteria on her list. _

_"So…why did this topic come up?" he asked, mainly to hide his current emotions._

_"My father's holding some stupid jousting tournament in the next month or so. No matter who wins, that's the man I'm supposed to court," she said angrily, her eyes flashing. "I'll be saddled with some idiot whether I like it or not."_

_In spite of himself, Jou's heart began to ache at her words. _

"She does not even consider you as a suitor, you stupid boy. Did you think you stood a chance with her, on your own and in your pitiful state?" Dartz taunted as the image faded. "You, the mongrel feigning to be a purebred? Don't make me laugh."

Jou's hands clenched so tightly that he felt blood running down his fingers. His legs shook and the temptation to sink to his knees was so strong that he was afraid his legs would give out without permission. Dartz's words were barbed, digging their way into his mind and stirring every negative emotion he had. He knew he should not even allow them to affect him this badly, but…

Dartz was right. There was no getting around it. Everything the man said was saying was something he had thought more than once over the years.

The other man held out his hand once again. "I do not offer orichalcum to just anyone. You have the potential to become a great and powerful leader. Your heart is certainly strong enough to bend the power within this stone to your will.

"Take my gift, Jousef. Use it to take back your kingdom and to free those who rely on you. Prove that you are worthy to wield such a power."

Jou's hand twitched involuntarily and his eyes landed on the orichalcum. Maybe…maybe Dartz was right after all. Taking the orichalcum might be the very first advantage he'd have since this whole mess began.

"Use it to win your beloved's heart."

Mai's face reappeared in the mirror behind them.

Jou sucked in a sharp breath and stared, his eyes on hers. Whether this was something Dartz conjured up to convince him or it was something his own mind had created, Jou could not say, but as he looked at her reflection in the mirror he felt something stirring within him.

"No," he said firmly, his eyes meeting Dartz's. A confident smile began to grow on his face—which was truly bizarre, because all he wanted to do was smash the mirror and break Dartz's neck before curling into a corner. "You know something? I'm not going to."

"Don't be a fool."

"I'm not," Jou replied with a small laugh. "I'll admit it—yeah, I'm not a prince, not yet. And you know something, me leaving my kingdom the way I did probably wasn't the greatest of ideas. I should have planned things better before I left, but there you go."

Jou looked to Dartz, suddenly much more confident than he had been before. "You had me doubting myself. You almost got me to take the orichalcum. Props, Dartz. Not many people can make me feel like a peon.

"And then you flubbed it by dragging Mai into it. You think I'd rely on some stone to win her over? Mai doesn't care for guys like that—just ask her about Jean Claude sometime, you'll get an earful. She hates guys who can't fight their battles on their own.

"You're right about her not wanting to marry, but you only showed me a part of that memory—the part that hurt the most. I won't lie, that set me back awhile. I didn't quite know what to do when she said that, but the memory continues from that bit you showed me.

"You don't know why I took part in that tournament, do you? I told her it was an important tradition in Hermos—and it is, thanks to that stupid spell on the throne—but that was not the major reason I took part. I didn't want to advance my own agenda. I saw the kind of guys that would be fighting to win her hand, all of them the same kind of men that Jean Claude is, and I couldn't stand the thought of her being trapped with that.

"I figured I would enter the tournament so that she wouldn't have to marry the very thing she despised. At the end of the visit to Hermos she could go home and be free to do as she pleased once again. I even told her as much when she confronted me on it, and in spite of her own misgivings she let me participate."

Dartz's expression was unreadable. "But you love her."

"More than words can ever express," said Jou, giving a tired grin. "Chances are, though, I'll never be able to tell her that. She doesn't have a lot of friends to begin with and I'm not about to make things all awkward for her just because of my own feelings. I promised myself I'd keep her safe and happy, and if being unmarried makes her happy then I'll do everything I can to keep her free."

The other man mulled over Jou's words for a few moments before he snorted. "Pathetic. You would stay silent about your own feelings if it meant securing her happiness?"

"If at the end of the day she still trusts me and calls me friend, then yes."

The sorcerer began to laugh, the sound jarring and unpleasant. "You choose to watch your beloved from afar and she remains oblivious to your own emotions," he declared. "It's so adorable it's almost sad."

"Look, I'm done talking to you," continued Jou. "I'm leaving you here and goin' home, and no one is goin' to stop me. Not some freaky guy waving a magic golden stick like a toy, not some stuck up arse who's pretending to be me, and certainly not some stuck up wizard with a fetish for glowy green pebbles."

Dartz's eye twitched in annoyance and Jou grinned—he had struck a nerve. Even so, the other man recovered quickly, regaining his impassive mask in seconds. "Are you so certain you have a home to go back to?" Dartz inquired. "For all you know, you could have nothing left. Everyone you care about could have died by now."

"They haven't," Jou said promptly, his head lifting. "Tristan, Raphael, Shizuka…the guards…Mai…they'll keep fighting. They'll fight for as long as they can, as hard as they can, and they won't quit until they've won. If they won't stop fighting, then I won't quit and take the orichalcum."

"You speak so confidently. Arrogance has no place here."

"It's not arrogance, it's fact, and _you_ have no place here. Goodbye," said Jou with a mock-cheerful wave, turning his back on Dartz and stalking forward.

"You will not escape, not on your own," said Dartz then, eyes alight with malice. "You're trapped in here and there's only one way out."

"I'll just find that out on my own, thanks," said Jou flatly, spreading his wings and starting to fly. It was difficult to get momentum without his tail flying out behind him, but he kept his tail firmly wrapped around his waist.

It seemed that no matter which direction he started from, however, that he would eventually wind up back in front of the mirror; Dartz had vanished from view, but he still felt a watchful gaze following him in the dark. After coming back to the glowing mirror for the seventh time he stopped, panting harshly. Flying in this place had cost him dearly.

"Will you take the orichalcum now?" The voice sounded almost too smug.

Jou snarled at the disembodied voice, eyes narrowing in anger. "Never."

"So how will you escape?"

Jou took a guess as to where Dartz was hiding and shot the spot a rude hand gesture in reply.

"What an eloquent response. Too bad it will not save you."

He clenched his fists, trying to think of some way to escape this oppressive darkness. What could he do? Taking the orichalcum was not even considered as an option. He had to get out of here, but there was no way that he could see. What could he do?

_…good fortune be on his side, strength be given, guide him through the dark…_

Jou's head shot up and he searched the darkness wildly. Yugi…that had been Yugi's voice just now, hadn't it? His eyes started scanning the nondescript surroundings hopefully. "Yugi?" he called.

Dartz scoffed, though the first hint of worry colored his voice when he spoke. "He's not here. You're just going mad."

Jou ignored him, listening for Yugi's voice once again. It had been faint, but…

There. There it was, in the darkness…a small point of light directly in front of him, a warm presence that was calling to him.

His wings flared out behind him once again and he started to fly clumsily, not for the first time wishing that he could move his tail. All that mattered in that moment was to get to that light because he knew beyond any doubt he'd be free of this place if he got to that light.

_Protection from physical harm. Protection from evil. Protection from destruction. _

As he got closer to that little ball of light in front of him, though, pain began igniting in his wings and at the base of his spine. His hands began to throb and his taloned feet started to shrink.

_Protection from deception. Good fortune be on his side._

His fangs were dulling, his eyesight dimming. Ahead of him, Yugi's voice was starting to rise.

_ Strength be given, guide him through the dark._

Scales were melding into skin and his shoulders burst into fiery agony. His spine exploded with almost blinding pain. He could feel the taint of Dartz's magic leaving him, similar to how poison was drawn from a wound.

_End the gag spell!_

His throat burned.

_End the spell of draconic transformation!_

He collapsed in a heap as his wings vanished. Yugi's voice was a powerful roar now, the words of Yugi's spells almost blurring together as heat blossomed from a point between his eyes.

_END DARTZ'S CURSE AND RETURN JOUSEF TO HIS TRUE FORM!_

The world exploded into brilliant, blinding light that swallowed him completely.


	32. The Tale of the Princess and the Dragon

_An update for this fic!...with a rather redundant title name. Haha, that's a bit intentional :)_

_Before we get started I have a brief request. If you skimmed the previous chapter because of TL;DR, then I have this to say—go back and re-read the last portion of the chapter before you start on this one (it's under a line break and starts off with "The first thing"). As I mentioned in that chapter, there's a plot twist that will have you do a double take, and this chapter elaborates on that; if you skimmed and didn't see it, then that means you'll end up super confused. Read that part carefully._

_Also, **DO NOT SKIM THIS CHAPTER. **It's talk heavy, certainly, but everything in here is important so PLEASE don't gloss over it._

_Another huge shout-out to all the reviewers, both anon and signed! I'm so happy you enjoy this little fic of mine and I'll fight to keep meeting expectations. Again, thank you so much for the support you've all been showing me!_

_With that, go ahead and dive on in._

* * *

><p>It had all happened so fast that even now they were still trying to make sense of it.<p>

They had been watching Jou writhe in the center of the magic circles, his shrieks and cries of agony resonating through the forest around them. Valon and Marik had both started forward in alarm when the cacophony had started, intending to find some way to aid the dragon. Had it not been for Rishid grabbing both of them by their waists and bodily hauling them backwards, the two of them might have even touched the circles—an action that would certainly have a less than desirable outcome.

It had been Téa who had first seen the green circle forming inside Yugi's magical barriers, and the group had barely any time to realize what it meant before it violently exploded outward. Ryou grabbed Téa, pulling her to his chest and turning to put his back between the oncoming magic; Rishid mirrored Ryou as he took hold of Ishizu and Marik, while Alister shoved Valon into the bushes.

Just as the wave of magic had reached them, however, they had seen Yugi's hand reach around behind him and what appeared to be a large bubble formed around them. The menacing acidic green magic had bounced almost harmlessly off of the magical shield, slamming instead into a tree and causing it to disintegrate instantly.

Before they could react, Bakura had moved forward. His features had started darkening, his body elongating as the Shadows rose from his body. As he moved his arm flung out at his side and more than one startled cry rose as everyone behind him was shoved back into the forest. When they'd recovered and gotten back to their feet, it was to see a swirling mass of Shadows ensconcing the area where Jou and Yugi had been standing.

That had been nearly ten minutes ago, and they were still in the dark as to what was going on. They were waiting rather anxiously at the edge of the Shadow-made barrier. There had been attempts to enter the Shadow barrier, but all that would happen was that they'd end up in the exact same spot as they'd been prior to entering.

"Ryou, has anything changed?" asked Marik, glancing at the other white-haired man.

Ryou's eyes glazed for only a few seconds before he shook his head. "It's not looking good," he said, looking absolutely exhausted. His link with Bakura was still very much present, though Bakura himself was nowhere to be seen. "All I can see inside Yugi's circles is black smoke. Yami's helping, but Yugi is still wearing down, and I don't even know about Jou—something's going to give, but I don't know who or what it will be."

Marik then looked to his sister. "Can't you see what will happen?"

Ishizu's eyes softened, but she too shook her head. "Yugi holds the Millennium Puzzle. I cannot see his fate with my Item."

"Then what of Jousef?" Alister's question held an edge to it. "He cannot afford to die."

Ishizu did not have time to answer, for several things happened almost at once that caught their attention.

The Shadow barrier dissipated as almost blinding white light pierced through it, earning a startled shriek from the Shadows. Bakura reformed briefly in this light, his body smoldering before vanishing into the Ring entirely, but as he disappeared the group was exposed to the full brunt of the light and they shielded their eyes.

When the light cleared and their eyes adjusted, it was to see Yugi standing with his back to them, his hands still firmly on his staff and his eyes locked on the center of the smoking magical circles; the hue of the gently rising smoke had turned a pearly gray. Beside him was Yami, his crimson eyes were glowing as brightly as the Puzzle around Yugi's neck.

In the center of the circles they could make out a figure lying face down on the grass, barely visible through the smoke.

Marik and Téa both started forward anxiously, but Yugi held one arm out in warning. "_Don't enter the circles._"

The two of them halted in place, caught off guard by the sharply spoken command, but they remained where they were.

Yugi, meanwhile, was watching the center of the clearing intently. He could not calm the anxiety rising within him when he did not see Jou move. The magic binding him had vanished, certainly, but was Jou alive? The stress put upon him—both physical and mental—could have easily killed him; he could not tell anything about Jou's condition from here and Yugi dared not move, for the magic of the circles was still very much active. To step off the edge of the circle without negating the enchantments at this point would be suicide.

"Yami," he said tersely. "Anything?"

"No threats are present. The taint of orichalcum has gone."

Yugi nodded, and then took note of Jou as the smoke started to clear even further. He turned his head over his shoulder to look at Rishid. "May I borrow your cloak?" he asked simply.

Rishid did not hesitate, instead pulling the hooded cloak off his shoulders and stepping toward Yugi. The shorter man shot him a grateful look as he accepted the cloth, and then he turned his gaze to his feet. "_Finite,_" he said firmly as he dragged his foot backward, taking the sand beneath his foot with him.

The glowing sand instantly turned back into white, resuming its plain appearance. Yugi waited until the glow had faded entirely putting Rishid's cloak on the top of his staff. He murmured a spell under his breath and the cloak flew into the center of the circle; in the smoke Jou's body lifted briefly as the cloak wrapped itself firmly around him before being laid gently to rest. Lastly, Yugi waved the staff and the now harmless white sand flew back into its appropriate bags.

As the sand lifted, however, Yugi was already hurrying forward to where Jou was slumped in the grass, worry creasing his brow. The taller man, clothed now in Rishid's cloak, was pale-faced and unmoving; when Yugi had magically lifted him he had set him down on his side to aid his recovery, but that was the only movement Jou's body had done since the spell had broken. Yugi did notice, however, that Jou's more draconic features had completely disappeared, and he could not see any magic binding the unconscious man—Jou was completely free from the curse.

"Jou?" he asked anxiously, kneeling and gently shaking the other man's shoulder. He heard footsteps behind him as the rest of his friends started coming toward them, though his eyes remained on the unresponsive Jou. Was he…?

To his immense relief, however, Jou's limp hand suddenly twitched and he heard a soft moan. Jou's eyes opened to blearily regard Yugi, his eyes a warm brown in contrast to the vivid ruby hue they had been before.

Jou mumbled something under his breath and Yugi leaned forward in concern. "What did you say, Jou?"

"Why is it every time you cast a spell I end up nearly dying?" Jou asked tiredly, sounding as if he only half-meant the question. He looked up at Yugi with some concern of his own. "I'm fine, don't worry about me. And how about you, short stuff? Are you okay?"

Yugi felt a small smile quirk the corner of his lips. Jou was obviously all right, though obviously dazed and weakened. "I've hexed people before for calling me that," he pointed out mildly.

Jou's eyes closed. "Tha's fine. Worth it," he mumbled almost incoherently, but then he frowned, his eyes opening. It was a clearly visible struggle for him to stay awake at this point. "Yugi…Dartz, he…"

"I know," said Yugi grimly. "I underestimated him. It won't happen again."

Jou grinned weakly up at Yugi before his eyes slipped shut and he went still once again. He had passed out, as Yugi had suspected he would. Yugi did not blame him—it had been exhausting on both of their parts.

_Yami? _he said, his own tiredness creeping up on him.

**I will take over. Rest—Jousef and the others will come to no harm while I am here.**

Yugi shook his head minutely. _I don't need to sleep. I just need a few moments to regain my energy, that's all. I'll be paying attention to what's going on._

**I understand. Again, rest. **

As the others came up to Yugi they noticed the Puzzle flash and Yugi's shoulders straightened, his head lifting—Yami had taken back over.

"Yugi is all right, as is Jousef," he said, cutting over the beginning of Téa's worried question. "Both have been through a trying ordeal, but they will recover soon enough. Rishid, if you would be so kind as to take Jousef to the shelter of the trees—the grass is cold and still damp, and the last thing we need is for Jousef to become ill."

The taller Enterran stepped forward silently, taking a moment to scoop Jou into his arms as easily as he would a small child before carrying him away from the clearing. Valon and Alister followed after him, already preparing to start another fire, while Téa started unrolling one of the blankets so that Rishid could lay Jou on it.

Ryou hurried to where the Millennium Ring had fallen and brushed the dirt off of it. "Are you all right, Bakura?"

_Oh, I'm FINE._ _I'm dining on milk and honey in here. I've decided to bugger off and will gladly remain in here for all eternity—I was burned by that light, you twit! HOW THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU THINK I'M DOING?_

Ryou winced as the furious voice thundered through the clearing, causing several people to look over at them. The young man sighed and slipped the Ring back over his head. "That's not necessary, you know," he chided. "Yelling won't change anything."

Yami raised an eyebrow. "And I suppose you blame your discomfort on me, Thief King?" he inquired, sounding almost bored. "If it is any consolation, think of it as an inherent risk for gaining any item you desire from Yugi's shop."

_I hate you,_ snarled Bakura as Ryou hurried over to help get Jou settled (though Ryou had left primarily to prevent Bakura from murdering Yami outright).

Yami watched the group gathered around the slowly growing fire before he turned his head to look up at the sky above, where he could see the stream of magic escaping the clearing. A small, satisfied smirk made its way onto his features then—all of the spells that had been reliant on Jou's curse were either breaking or weakening by now.

"Your move," he announced softly.

* * *

><p>Duke had nearly made it to the room where Vivian had been taken when pain exploded at a point right between his eyes and he fell to his knees, his lips already twisting with a silent snarl of agony. Within seconds images began flying through his mind, memories that had been somehow forgotten. His hands halfway rose to his temples in a futile attempt to stop the assault, but they never made it and instead hovered at a point a good distance away from his ears.<p>

He barely registered David's alarmed voice calling his name and the touch on his shoulders was only vaguely felt, but as he turned his head he saw David fall as well, clutching the sides of his own head. Duke was forced to close his eyes at that point, gritting his teeth against the pain. _What's…happening…?!_

And then, without warning, the memories ground to a halt as a familiar figure reappeared to the front of his mind, its owner possessing tousled blond hair and brown eyes alight with youthful energy. A golden circlet was almost hidden beneath the bangs and he wore a green tunic with dark pants and boots; the individual raised his hand in greeting, a grin lighting his features.

Duke realized with sudden clarity that he recognized this individual just as the pain dissipated.

"Prince Jousef," he breathed, green eyes widening with surprise.

* * *

><p>There was not much he could do at this point. He was trapped in a cell, stuck with a hood over his head to prevent anyone from recognizing him and his arms chained above his head; initially it had not bothered him, but an increasing ache in his back and an abnormal weakness that was permeating his body was more than troubling.<p>

Physical discomfort was nothing to Raphael, however. He was despairing for a different reason—he had not even remembered attacking Jean Claude and yet somehow he had thrown a punch. He knew now that Ishtar had been behind that little altercation, but because of what happened Elya and Valon would suffer for it, if not the princess and the other remaining guards.

And where was the prince—the _real_ one—throughout this crisis? As much as he hated to admit it, he'd carried the suspicion that Prince Jousef had more than likely been murdered from the moment the castle had fallen to Jean Claude. Why else would he be gone for so long, without making any attempt to take back the castle?

Raphael had been halfway dozing, the miserably wretched thoughts running through his mind, when he felt the pressure around his throat increase and he stiffened. Had someone activated the gag spell? The enchantment had been weighing heavily across his shoulders and around his neck ever since it was cast, as if someone had placed invisible weights there. But if someone had spoken out there would have been pain by now…

In the next second the pressure dissipated, freeing him so suddenly that he was completely caught off guard by the weight's disappearance and he slumped forward before he could stop himself.

Raphael waited, hardly daring to believe it. How? How had this happened? Jean Claude was hardly the type to show mercy and Ishtar would not dream of weakening such a cruel spell, so that meant something beyond their control had done this. Was the spell truly broken, then? Was he free to speak…and were the other guards granted their freedom as well?

There was one way to find out.

"My wife's name is—" he began in a soft murmur, but then froze when he felt the barest of weights press on his throat in silent warning. So the spell had not completely broken, then, but it had been weakened.

Raphael could not say he was disappointed, however. Instead, hope began to rise in his heart and some of his unhappy thoughts clouding his mind disappeared—he had realized what the weakened spell meant. Though he had a million other questions that had risen when the enchantment had nearly vanished Raphael was certain of one thing.

Help was on its way.

* * *

><p>Raphael was not the only guard who felt the gag spell weaken. Out in the courtyard Corda paused, a hand rising to his throat in surprise; Jethro, clearly visible on the castle wall above them, froze and looked to the other men nearby, silently asking if they too had felt it. On all of the remaining men loyal to the true prince, hopeful expressions began lighting up their features.<p>

These guards were not the only ones affected. All over the country of Chronas, those who had fallen victim to memory spells, who had forgotten the boy they had met in the city of Hermos, regained their memories. Even in Thystia there were individuals who suddenly remembered Prince Jousef—Mai's parents were one such group of people.

However, the magical shift in atmosphere had also been noted by less than friendly eyes—namely, Ishtar's.

The Enterran, on his way back from another foray into the populace, paused in the shadow of the north tower with a slight but thoughtful frown. His eyes moved to the guards exchanging glances on the carapace above him, and even from here he noticed that the green collars of light had dimmed drastically, almost vanishing altogether.

So…the little wizard had managed to shatter the curse on the prince after all, in spite of his weakened condition. The Shadow wielders must have loaned him strength to do so, for there would have been no way for a wizard's apprentice to cope with both curse-shattering and Dartz's hidden enchantment. That had to mean that the princeling was human once again.

Ishtar twirled the Rod in thought, the Item still gleaming in spite of the fact he was wreathed in shadow. Jean Claude had been cocky and overconfident from the beginning, but the man was not stupid. He had held several parties while present in the castle, but he'd taken great care to invite nobles who were unaware of Jousef's identity; it had been a slip-up that Princess Mai's cousin had been invited once, but a memory spell had solved that.

As far as those who truly remembered the prince of Hermos, they had no idea that Jean Claude was on the throne at the moment. All that they would think was that it was a bizarre and painful headache that would have brought the princeling to mind—nothing more, really.

And the woman? He snorted. The memory spell recently cast had no ties to Jousef's curse, so it would still hold. She would remember nothing—not that she had anything in her head worth remembering to begin with.

The real question now was whether to alert Jean Claude of this latest change. The pompous fool could not sense magic, so he was completely unaware of what had just happened. If the curse had broken, then it was only a matter of time before the true "prince" (if he could be called that) would make his way to the castle to reclaim his throne and his woman.

Ishtar entertained the thought for only seconds before turning to the darkest part of the shadows on the wall in front of him, striding effortlessly through the castle wall.

* * *

><p>Jou hugged the shirt to his chest with unbridled enthusiasm. "<em>Clothes!"<em>

"I don' reckon tha' I've ever seen a fella so excited t' get a shirt b'fore," Valon said, planting his hands on his hips as he watched Jou happily pull the blue material over his head. "You sure you aren' secretly a girl there, Jousef?"

Jou, who had his head partially through the collar, glared at him balefully. "Don't call me 'Jousef', it makes me twitch. I haven't worn proper clothing since I was turned into a giant lizard. You try going for several months making your own clothes using nothing but rocks and fur and we'll see how you react," he retorted.

Jou had revived just as the fire had gotten hot, and though he claimed he was achy and sore it was obvious he was well on the way to recovery. Since Valon was closer in size to Jou than anyone else was, the Aurosian had donated a pair of pants and a shirt to Jou to change into; Jou could hardly stay in Rishid's cloak, as it was far too big for him to wear and he'd tripped several times while wearing it.

Yugi was still recovering, but Yami had assured them that he was still very much aware of what was happening around him and that no further harm had come to him. Bakura, too, was recovering—in fact, he was recovering faster than Yugi was and was already outside the Ring once again. His normally pale skin was a very bright shade of pink, however, as if he had suffered massive sunburn. Valon was still having difficulty with keeping a straight face, as he knew that laughing at Bakura meant a painful, grisly death lay in store for him; he was not the only one, for even Rishid fought not to smile as Bakura gingerly eased himself against a tree.

As Jou finished pulling down the shirt, he caught sight of his now normal hands and he paused. If it had not been for Mai, he would not be free from the spell at all. Yugi might have done the heavy lifting, but it would not have been possible without his full name.

"You don't look like much of a prince to me," said Marik flatly, studying him. "I'd have difficulty pegging you as a noble. Mai didn't, obviously, but you don't look that regal."

"Marik, do not say such a thing," Ishizu chided sternly.

Jou shook his head tiredly. "No, it's okay. I get that a lot," he replied, suddenly tired. "In fact, that's actually kind of a good thing that no one knows I'm royalty."

Alister grunted. "Depending on the situation, anyways. Jean Claude's benefitting from everyone being in the dark about your identity," he commented.

Jou instantly sobered, his eyes going to Alister. "Have you seen Shizuka at all?" he asked, his sister's smiling face in the forefront of his mind. Now that he was free from the gag spell, it was time he started asking questions

The other man did not reply, nor did he need to—Jou saw the silent answer and looked away. "So you don't know if she's alive."

"She has to be," said Alister, neither encouraging nor condemning. "Jean Claude wouldn't threaten us with a non-existent threat and Raphael saw her when…" he trailed off once more, suddenly looking away from the other man.

"When what?" asked Jou then, his voice suddenly sharp. "What happened to her? What's happened to Shizuka?" he nearly snarled.

"When Jean Claude took over he bound us under a gagging enchantment, only instead of ourselves as the target of the spells the brunt would fall on Elya and Princess Shizuka both. A part of the punishment for the guards who rebelled against Jean Claude in the forest was to have the gag spell activated on them," Alister said dully, his features darkening.

Jou's face paled before flushing in anger as he rose to his feet. "He did _WHAT?"_ he asked, his voice strangled by fury.

Though he was angry, nausea had settled in his stomach and Jou sank back onto the log heavily, trying to control his emotions. It was not _fair_. Shizuka had not deserved any of this…what kind of older brother was he? He could not even protect his little sister!

Ryou bit his bottom lip before looking at Jou. "So how come Jean Claude would do all of this, anyways?" he asked hesitantly, flinching when Jou's far too angry face met his. "Yes, he's in love with Mai and all, but…I don't know, I can't help but feel like there's something deeper going on. So much effort for just one woman…I can't entirely believe that."

Jou's jaw clenched. "I have no clue what he's thinking," he admitted darkly. "If he's got some master plan, he sure didn't tell me about it when he captured me. Dartz didn't enlighten me either."

Téa looked up at that comment, her brows furrowing before she looked to Yami. "Earlier on you said that no one in Hermos knew who their ruler was, which was why no one had noticed Jou's disappearance. You also said you'd discuss it later," she said. "If that's a reason behind why Jean Claude is acting this way, wouldn't now be a good time to talk about it?"

"A direct question, but you are correct in that it's time to address the subject," said Yami with a raised eyebrow. "There is in fact a reason behind the chaos Jean Claude is causing, and it has a lot to do with the history of the city itself."

Jou suddenly seemed to shrink in his seat, looking as if he wanted to disappear. Valon's eyebrows arched at the reaction and even Marik seemed surprised, but no one commented on this change of behavior.

"Oh? Do tell, Yami," said Bakura flatly. "We're waiting breathlessly for you to speak, Mighty Know-It-All_._"

"Aside from Jousef, do any of you know how the city of Hermos was founded?" Yami asked, ignoring Bakura entirely.

No one immediately spoke.

"The story of how the city of Hermos was founded is not known outside of its people, and the same can be said for its brother cities Timaeus and Critias," Yami began. "In fact, this story has been largely forgotten by the populace because the royal families have all suppressed this story from being spread. The only reason Yugi's grandfather has the tale transcribed was because a family friend—who was also a scholar—wrote it into the book.

"Before I start on that tale, I ask this: how many of you know about the lost city of Paradise?"

Much to everyone's surprise, Marik's hand shot into the air. "There were several scrolls on the city in my family's archive. There was not much else to do underground aside from reading, you know," he explained, his voice sounding defensive when everyone save his siblings gave him startled looks.

"I have read about this lost city as well, while my Rishid and I were…abroad," Ishizu added gently, shooting Marik a comforting look when the younger Enterran winced. "I am not certain why the tale you wish to tell is linked to Paradise, but I know of what you're speaking."

Yami dipped his head at the Enterran woman, looking visibly impressed. "Then would you mind briefly explaining what the lost city of Paradise is to those who do not know of it?"

"Certainly." Ishizu straightened up on the stump she had been sitting on, folding her hands neatly in her lap. "The city of Paradise was often referred to as a utopia. Advances in art, philosophy, medicine, and military were far beyond what can be found today in any country. In fact, it has been indicated that every country—even Viernet—has ties to the city, and certain elements of their cultures can be traced back to Paradise. Had it been unchecked, we might all live under one unified country ruled by Paradise.

"It was during this time that Paradise's king chose three knights from three different regions of his city, to represent and protect his people in the courts; one was a commoner who had to earn the title of knighthood, one was a young lord, and the third was a prince. Electing these men was more of a formality than an actual need of the knights themselves, but even so the king still allowed them into his courts. Their names were Timaeus, Critias, and Hermos."

Téa jumped. "Wait a minute…my caravan just passed through a city in Beryl named Timaeus, and Hermos is only hours from here," she said. "Was that because the knights came from those cities?

Yami shook his head with a small smile. "The cities were founded _after _the city of Paradise fell. The answer to your question will be made clear in time. Continue, Lady Ishizu—how _did_ Paradise gain the 'lost' part of its title?"

This time it was Marik who spoke, gently tapping Ishizu's arm to catch her attention before he continued her story. "There was a nameless and unknown evil that poisoned the minds and hearts of the kingdom," he began. "The king began putting everyone showing signs of this evil to the sword, though it's unclear whether innocent lives were caught up in this purge. It got to the point where even the knights stood in rebellion of their king, and the two parties battled."

Marik faltered, looking up at his sister searchingly for a moment before returning his gaze to the rest of them. "Our scrolls never spoke of what happened to the knights, nor did the archive reveal what had caused the knight's insurrection, so their fate was always ambiguous. However, the end result was the same: the kingdom was lost and sank into the sea, taking with it almost the entire populace of that kingdom."

"Tha's good 'n' all, but wha' does this 'ave t' do with your storybook, Yami?" Valon asked, pointing to the book in Yami's arms. "I've yet t' 'ear 'ow some ancient long gone city relates to it, t' say nothin' 'bout Jou or Mai."

"Actually, this historical account pertains quite a bit to the cities of Hermos, Timaeus, and Critias," Yami said, looking perfectly unperturbed by Valon's question.

"Is it because the knights were from those cities?" Alister asked with a frown.

Yami smiled and held out the storybook. "That question is where this book comes in."

He opened the book and they all jumped as it hovered in the air, the pages flying as if they were being blown by the wind. Although everyone else's gaze was on the book, they still listened to Yami as he continued to talk.

"Marik was correct. All historical accounts of the city of Paradise, while varied in some countries, are about the same when it comes to the knights. No one knows what happened to them," he continued. "There is one account, but scholars dismissed it as being a child's bedtime story, a legend spoken only among the three cities in an attempt to bring commerce and wealth to their gates.

"That one account was split into three parts, each pertaining to the individual city in each individual region."

As everyone watched, golden streams of light formed in the air, looping into an elegant script and forming the title of the story in the space above the book: _The Princess and the Dragon._

"As we have precious little time we will have to make do with a short summary of the tale," he said calmly. "To those who are unaware, there is nothing to suggest anything of historical significance. It is rather simple, as a matter of fact.

"A princess is traveling to a foreign kingdom when her traveling party is attacked by bandits. In the chaos she became separated from her guards and the bandits corner her. Just as they are about to attack her, a dragon emerges from the forest and obliterates her attackers. Initially the maiden fears for her life, for dragons are often brutish creatures; the physical appearance of this dragon did not help, for it was described as crimson-scaled dragon with large talons and a long horn in the center of its snout.

"However, she noticed the deep sorrow that entered the dragon's eyes when he saw she was afraid and she asked him what was wrong. The dragon, though surprised she had asked, told her that it was because she perceived him to be a monstrous threat. He then told her he was one of three brothers who had been wrongfully cursed by their king, and though he sought aid to free himself and his brothers none would assist him because of his fearsome appearance.

"When the princess heard this she took pity on the wretched soul and instantly promised the dragon that she would assist him, for he had saved her life and she would repay that kindness.

"Of course, the story goes on from there," Yami added. "Eventually, the princess manages to free him from the spell and the two marry, establishing the city named after this cursed dragon. I suppose you understand why I chose to speak of this tale?"

"The dragon is one of the knights," said Rishid promptly, though he still looked uncertain.

"You would be correct," said Yami evenly. "This particular story is the tale of Hermos. As mentioned before, this is one of three parts. Eventually, after Hermos had established the city and had children, he set off to free his brothers in arms, and that is where the story goes into its second part.

"At the beginning of the second tale, the story states that Hermos "cast" protection on his kingdom, for he was about to embark on a journey that he was unsure he would return from. As such, he made certain that his throne and his family would be protected while he was gone."

Yami's eyes suddenly locked onto where Jou was sitting. "Do I have your permission?" he asked, waiting for a reaction.

Jou flinched at being addressed so suddenly, his brown eyes flickering uncomfortably as everyone looked at him, but after several moments of silence Jou gave a stiff nod.

Yami dipped his head to acknowledge Jou, then turned to the others. "I trust the information you are about to hear will not leave this clearing," he said pleasantly, but though his voice was cheerful his eyes were flashing. "If it does, then I myself will deal with the one who speaks out—and you do not want to see what I am capable of."

He waited until everyone had agreed (keeping an especial eye on Marik and Bakura) before he resumed speaking. "Hermos had common origins and was brought into the courts of Paradise as a knight, but prior to that he carried no title to his name. The only reason he gained any royalty at all was because he married the princess.

"In the account of the city of Paradise, it briefly mentions several abilities the knights had. One common gift the three knights shared was the ability to speak to dragons—something that is passed down through _all_ descendents of the knights."

Alister sat up. "Does that make Kaiba one of the knight's descendents?" he asked, frowning.

Yami chuckled. "It is a distinct possibility, though Kaiba himself refuses to believe in what he calls nonsensical fairy tales," he said. "To persuade Kaiba of the truth would require more than what he dubs as 'circumstantial evidence'—though he hails from Critias and though he possesses a rare gift with dragons, he needs more than that to sway him," he continued, sounding oddly amused.

Valon snorted. "Sounds like Kaiba. Stuck up idiot," he muttered.

"To come back to the conversation at hand," Yami said flatly, and Valon fell silent. "The knights also had another singular gift—the ability to wield magic.

"I told you earlier of the simplistic style of the tale and how many believe it to be a simple fairytale. However, any magic wielder can see the significance of that one sentence in the second tale: the word '_cast'_ was used. That only can mean one thing: Hermos placed a powerful and protective enchantment on the throne."

Marik frowned. "What sort of enchantment are we talking about?" he asked then. "I'd imagine it would not be one easily broken. And for that matter, does it even exist?"

Yami abruptly vanished back into the Puzzle, but they all noticed that he reformed as a transparent being next to Yugi, who had taken back control of his body. "There is such an enchantment," Yugi said grimly. "I've not seen it for myself, but I've been to the city before and there's a strong power that emanates from the castle itself. My grandfather's also been inside the castle once before and he verified that the spell exists when he read the story to me."

"Okay, so what do you do to meet the terms of this enchantment?" asked Téa. "Is it a conditional spell of some kind?"

Yami raised an eyebrow at her. "In a sense, yes," he said. "In fact, the spell has almost very simple terms— to take the throne in Hermos, the prince must first prove his worth."

"And how exactly would Jou do that?" Marik asked, raising his eyebrows.

Yami disappeared into the Puzzle suddenly; Yugi shot the Item a worried glance, but the group understood the reason behind Yami's sudden departure. The Enterran spirit was completely worn out. _I am leaving it to you to finish explaining, Yugi. As for that question, Marik, I have given more than enough hints for you to formulate the answer on your own. Try to do so._

Alister seemed to mull over his answer carefully. "Jou wasn't exactly on the throne when Raphael and I arrived," he said slowly, causing everyone to look at him. "He was in the stables and he's been stationed as a guard long before we got there. The only reason I even knew he was a prince was when he traveled to Thystia for the jousting tournament. Aside from that, though, the first time the other guards found out Jou was a prince was after his father died."

Marik's eyes went to Jou, who was watching them with a noticeably nervous expression. "Humble origins," he murmured, glancing to Yugi. "Proving worth, serving with his comrades to protect them…"

And then the Enterran's eyes widened and he straightened up. When he next spoke, it sounded as if he almost hardly dared to believe what he was saying. "Hermos was a knight, not a prince. To take the throne in Hermos, Jou has to be knighted."

* * *

><p>It had been awkward to listen to the story that he had been told almost a thousand times before (and Jou was certain he was not exaggerating that number). He had known what lay at the end of the story, but he found he was still bristling defensively. His father had shown great derision to the story and had spent years mocking his own son about it.<p>

He had almost hoped no one would guess the truth behind the throne of Hermos, but then again he was dealing with a Shadow wielder _and_ a magician. It had only been a matter of time before the truth came out, though he'd wished that his situation would not come to this. He did not want any judgmental stares—it would be too much like being with his father, and he was still reeling from his earlier encounter with Dartz. He was not certain he was ready for it.

When Marik had spoken, therefore, he had not been able to suppress the flinch when several astonished gazes were turned on him.

"Yep," he announced, wishing that he was almost anywhere else. "You guessed it."

"But how is that possible?" Téa looked almost dumbfounded. "Surely the kingdom knows about this, and if they know then enemies know—yet no one has struck against the city."

"Maybe they jus' never noticed?" Valon suggested. "I know I never did."

"Valon is correct," Yugi commented. "Yami told you earlier that the citizens are not aware of their prince's identity."

Turning to Jou, he continued speaking. "Have you been formally announced to the people?"

Jou sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He felt far more tired than he had ever felt in his life. ""My mother was the queen of Hermos, but my father was the fourth son of the crown family and he became her husband due to an arranged marriage," he started. "I was born and raised outside of the castle, in a small village an hour from the city of Hermos.

"When I was seven years old I was dragged away from my mother and my sister and taken to the castle with several other kids my age. I was told in private that I was the prince of Hermos, but that in order to take my throne I had to be knighted. To be knighted, I had to serve seven years as a squire, then seven more years as a knight in training. Once I turn twenty-one I'm supposed to be knighted and then coronated in the presence of the kingdom.

"Until that time, however, I was to remain anonymous—outside the kingdom I was called 'prince' for diplomacy reasons, but really I'm not even considered royalty until I turn twenty one. That was why other seven year old boys had been taken as well, in order to hide me from unfriendly eyes.

"There were some exceptions in regards to who knew about the spell on the throne. As stewards of the kingdom, Tristan and his father knew—their sole duty is to guard the throne until the rightful heir can take over. My sister learned of our royal blood shortly after she was brought to the castle when our mother died of sickness, but I wasn't really allowed to see her. If I was always around the princess, you see, someone could put two and two together and figure out who I was. A short time ago, Raphael and Alister found out by accident.

"As far as I've ever gathered, the prince remains in anonymity until he's knighted."

"But surely you had to make diplomatic visits to other kingdoms," said Marik with a frown. "How could you pass through Hermos, let alone your castle, without anyone finding out you were the prince?"

Jou snorted. "Simple. Tristan's father was the captain of the guard, and according to tradition the captain always takes the younger guards with him when visiting other kingdoms. Tristan and I always went, and once out of sight of Hermos, I'd climb into the carriage with my dad. From there, it was a game of cat and mouse in avoiding other castle guards while in the guise of the prince."

Jou made a face. "Honestly, it was a lot of cloak and dagger stuff. Too much trouble and too intricate for my liking," he added flatly.

"Does Mai know anything about this?" asked Téa then.

Jou paused.

* * *

><p>"<em>The Princess and the Dragon<em>?"

_Jou grinned at her, though the smile was getting harder to make out in the coming darkness. They were still rather hopelessly lost in the maze, though it seemed like they were finally starting to get closer to the exit. "Yeah. It's kinda sissy, but my baby sister loves that story," he explained._

_Mai scoffed. "I outgrew bedtime stories a long time ago," she said haughtily, lifting her chin. _

_Jou's eyebrows rose. "I never said anything about it being a bedtime story," he said, tugging her down another pathway. "I figure you'd like it, though, 'cause it's kind of a love story. Girls like that sort of thing, right?"_

_"I don't like sappy romance stories," she said again, though there was a note of curiosity in her voice._

_ "Oh c'mon, give it a chance," he replied with a laugh. "My sister is an excellent judge of stories and she adores this one. And besides, the whole thing isn't a love story—yeah, there's action and magic and…and…well, all sorts of non-sappy, lovey-dovey, kissy kissy things," he added, blushing when Mai shot him an amused look._

_The two of them came to yet another dead end and Mai groaned. "You sure we can't go through the bushes?" she asked._

_"Well…I mean, you came out here 'cause your dress got ruined to begin with. If you go through the bushes it'll ruin it more," he said slowly. "I don't want you getting in any more trouble."_

_She jumped, her eyes widening in surprise as she looked down at her dress. It was quite evident she had forgotten about her gown and she shot him a grateful look before casting her gaze about the maze._

_"…That story," she said at last. "How does it go?"_

_His face brightened and he took her hand again, leading her away from the dead end. "You mean you wanna hear it?"_

_"Why not?" she asked. A playful smile of her own lit her features. "I mean, we're lost. We might as well pass the time with something, right? Now, O Masterful Storyteller, entertain me."_

_Jou laughed. "Well all right, then," he said, turning and bowing fully. "Then let the storytelling begin."_

* * *

><p>"She knows the tale of <em>The Princess and the Dragon<em>," he said at last. "She doesn't know its connection to me, though. I never wanted her brought to harm because of what she knew, so I never delved into that particular topic."

"It is perhaps for the best that she does not know the full extent of that connection, but I am afraid our enemies already know of the story," Yugi said grimly.

"I was afraid of such an outcome, but the evidence suggests it," said Ishizu quietly. "Someone knew the story well enough to curse Jousef the exact same way that Hermos was bound in the tale."

"Then that means that Dartz also knows how to get around the spell on the throne. Same for Jean Claude, because I doubt Dartz would allow him to walk in blindly to deal with age-old magic," said Bakura with a snort. "Seems like the little fool isn't such an idiot after all. Jean Claude covers his bases, that's for certain. I'm guessing that there are loopholes in this enchantment, little wizard?"

"Loopholes?" Ryou asked, glancing at Jou. "Like what?"

Yugi looked at Jou again before addressing Ryou. "As long as there's a child with Hermos's blood running through their veins the spell will remain active, and as long as the royal family in Hermos follows the guidelines established by the enchantment no harm will come to them," he explained.

"Because Dad was married to a descendent of Hermos, he was shielded from the negative aspects of the spell," Jou added, an angry tremor entering his voice. "He was never knighted, though, and when Mother passed on the full brunt of the curse hit him. He died almost a year after my sister came to the castle."

"If the curse on Jou had remained, he would have become a dragon," Yugi added. "His human blood would have been burned out of him, which would leave his younger sister as the only link to Hermos. When Jou was cursed, Jean Claude could have done one of two things: murder Jou's sister, or allow her to live solely to stave off the curse. If both Jou and Shizuka die without either of them having children, however, the spell would have nothing to bind to and it would break."

"You mentioned more than one loophole, though," Marik pointed out, his eyes narrowing. "What does that have to do with Mai?"

"The story tells us that Hermos and the princess he married founded the city of Hermos. At the time, Hermos was only a knight, not a noble of any kind. He differs from Timaeus and Critias, both of whom had noble blood running through their veins at the time they were knighted," Yugi replied. "What do you think marrying a princess did to his status?"

"He was made into a prince," said Alister slowly. At Yugi's encouraging look he continued. "If Hermos was made into a prince by marrying a princess, then it stands to reason that Jean Claude's marriage to Mai would do the same—which would then create a loophole in the spell. He would not need to be knighted, for he would already be connected to royalty. Had the curse on Jou succeeded in turning him permanently into a dragon, all that Jean Claude would need to do was allow Princess Shizuka to die from her illness to cause the spell to break."

"And it's not just that," Ryou said grimly. "Yes, Jou has survived the curse and he's alive now, but he's not yet a knight. Jou's father was shielded from the negative aspects of the enchantment only because of his marriage to Jou's mother, and though he had two children carrying Hermos's blood in their veins he still died when the queen did. If the princess dies now, her death can activate the enchantment on the throne."

Jou felt the color drain from his face. He had considered so many possibilities as to why Jean Claude had taken the approach that he had, but he'd never considered anything involving his younger sister. Shizuka was effectively a double sided weapon—she could destroy Jean Claude at the expense of her life, but only if Jou remained alive and curse free. She was not just a way to keep Jou at bay, she was also Jean Claude's back-up plan should his marriage to Mai fall apart. That was why Jean Claude kept his sister alive instead of putting her to the sword.

What of Mai, then? Would she too fall victim to the enchantment if Shizuka died? She was not at all linked to Hermos, so if Jean Claude succeeded in marrying her she would become a potential target for the protective enchantment.

He realized then just how close he was to losing both of the women he cared for and his fists clenched at his sides.

Jou had been away long enough. It was time to go home.

* * *

><p>Traveling by Shadow paths was something thoroughly unpleasant, Sivya decided then. The darkness was oppressive and more than one pair of glowing eyes had watched her as she walked through the dark; her staff was clutched tightly in her hands, ready to be used to curb any unwelcome advances from whatever was hiding.<p>

Yami had assured her, however, that she would come to no harm as long as she kept walking forward. He had already set the end point for the path to end, so all she needed to do was to keep going; on her return journey the path would lead her to a different destination rather than to Bakura's lair. Still, however, Yami's assurances did little to alleviate her unease.

She was never more grateful to see the tiny point of light ahead of her, and when she touched it the path instantly vanished, the outside air and sunlight bathing her like an old friend. She knew the path behind her had not gone, however; when she turned she could see that the air behind her slightly rippled, the same way the heat rose from the sand in the deserts of Enterra.

She seemed to be in a small patch of forest, a large and grassy meadow in front of her, but to her left she saw the large castle on the top of the hill that overlooked this small field—the castle of Hermos. Sivya had arrived at the correct destination.

As her eyes adjusted to the sudden exposure to the sunlight, she heard the almost welcoming and familiar sound of bleating. Turning her head, she saw the field beyond her filled with sheep; from her count, there had to be at least thirty animals in the field. She remained in the shadow of the trees when she saw the two men watching the animals from a small hill, but she took note of the crimson-hued collars around the nearest sheep's neck.

Like other royal kingdoms, Hermos had livestock in its care to use for both trade and for food. Sivya knew little of driving cattle or geese, but herding sheep was something she was more than familiar with. In order to do as Yami had asked her, she had to take more than one animal without being seen by the shepherds.

Luck seemed to be on her side this day. One little lamb spotted her and wobbled toward her curiously, drawing the attention of its mother, its sibling, and two others. Sivya stepped further into the trees and bent down, holding her palm out to the young lamb encouragingly; when it came up to her she scratched a spot behind its ears, soothing the animal.

The other four sheep were not far behind this little baby and they too stepped into the shelter of the trees. Sivya rummaged in her bag and tied a thin but sturdy rope around the mother's collar, hanging onto the other end of the rope. Holding the elder sheep would control the lambs, for they would not stray far without their mother.

Sivya made certain that the shepherds had not seen anything before gently nudging the older sheep with her staff, steering the three animals towards the castle. Based on what she could see, the castle was at most an hour's journey—if she hurried, she could reach the castle within half that time.

And as Yami had told her earlier, time was of the essence.


	33. Shared Sight, Connected Minds

_And it's here._

_This chapter officially broke the 10k word count, but I figure that since I've been gone for almost three months you guys deserve an extra long chapter to make up for having to wait on me. It is a doozy of a chapter, but it's action-y this time!...sort of._

_Thanks again to everyone reviewing/following, whether you're anonymous or not. I really do appreciate the support you're all giving, as well as your reviews. I know I keep saying it, but I really do enjoy the reviews and I hope I can keep meeting your expectations!_

* * *

><p>Jou half rose to his feet, growling under his breath when his legs trembled violently beneath him. "Come on, already," he muttered, yelping as his knees buckled. "How long am I gonna have to wait before I stop being all wobbly?"<p>

Fifteen minutes had passed since they had finished discussing the situation about the throne in Hermos. The very moment the conversation had ended Marik had seized both his siblings by their arms and had bodily dragged them to the base of the nearest treehouse, ordering them both to go up the ladder and sleep. He had noticed their exhaustion and in spite of their protests he was adamant that they rest. Knowing that Marik would not allow them to do anything else, the two siblings had agreed and had disappeared up into the treehouse; when Marik had gone up to check on them he had found them both sound asleep in the cots.

The older Ishtar siblings were not the only ones in need of rest. Alister himself looked far more tired than any one of them, and Ryou was nodding off when no one was watching him; Yugi still looked as if he would collapse at any moment. Even so, Valon could not force Alister to sleep while the other man carried a bow and arrow, and Ryou and Yugi declined the offer to catch a quick nap. Neither Bakura nor Yami (who was now currently resting inside the Puzzle) approved of that particular decision.

Jou, in the meantime, had been trying to force himself to walk. He had managed to get to the fireside with assistance earlier, but now he felt it was time to try on his own and without help—and so far, his success was limited.

When Jou stumbled and nearly faceplanted once again Marik caught him by the upper arm and steadied him. "How about you stop before you fall into the fire?" he suggested wryly.

Jou shook his head, gently tugging his arm free. "I'll be all right. I've got to go home, shaky legs or not," he said firmly, taking a few hesitant steps forward. "I need to—"

There was another yelp as he toppled into Alister, who had been practicing using his bow and arrow. The other man, already unsteady on his feet to begin with, fell with Jou into the grass. The blond took a moment to recover before looking down and then grinned sheepishly at the now scowling Alister. "At least someone cushioned the fall."

Valon snorted. "Alister's a walkin' stick. You'd not get much cushionin' there, mate."

Alister's scowl deepened. "At least I'm not a head shorter than everyone else."

"At least I don' look like a skinny woman."

Valon gave a startled yell as Alister swung his bow to knock his legs out from under him, and the Aurosian sprawled into the grass with them. At the glower being leveled with him Alister raised an eyebrow. "And now I'm not the only stick in the mud."

Alister ignored Valon's splutters and then shoved at Jou. "Prince or not, _get off me_."

Jou rolled off of Alister's back and onto the grass, forcing himself back to his hands and knees before trying to rise again. Valon looked over at him with a small frown. "Don' you reckon you oughta sit for a bit? I'm not much f'r the mother 'en approach, but you're as wobbly as a baby deer."

Ryou shot Jou a worried glance. "Valon's right," he admitted, though he quailed under Jou's scowl. "You need more recovery time. We also need to come up with some sort of plan. You can't just go rushing blindly into the castle…you've got to rest."

Jou shook his head and carefully pulled himself to his feet. "Can't. I'm going back today, and nothing's gonna stop me," he insisted, standing slowly upright. "There's too much to do in too little time."

"And how will you do that if you can't even keep your balance?" Téa retorted, rising to her feet. "You won't help anybody in your current condition."

Jou glared at her, but when the woman did not even flinch he slumped and leaned against a tree. "But…I've got to go," he said softly, almost pleadingly. "My sister is the only family I have left. If I lose her…and then there's Mai and the other guards who're counting on me to come back."

Téa's severe expression softened and she set a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You could at least rest a day—"

Jou shrugged away from her almost violently, nearly knocking himself off balance once again. "What if tomorrow is too late?" he nearly snarled, his eyes flashing and suddenly overbright. "Shizuka is _dying_. A day could be the difference between life and death for her! I can't lose her—I _can't._"

Bakura shifted in place, his eyes suddenly narrowing. Within Ryou's own mind a memory rose to the surface, one that was not his own. It was the image of a young Enterran boy with blond hair, his clothes soaked in blood. The little boy hardly seemed to care about the state of his outfit, he was pleading so desperately with them. The child's wide, tear-filled lavender eyes, coupled with his wavering voice, pleaded for them to _go back, please go back, they're all I have, please…!_

The memory was gone as suddenly as it had come, for Bakura had suddenly remembered the link between their minds. Still, as Ryou looked up to the thief his eyes caught Marik's, who had been watching Jou silently—the other white-haired man was not the only one who remembered.

"Ryou," said Bakura gruffly, startling him, "you have a strengthening draught on hand, correct?"

Almost everyone in the clearing turned to Bakura with noticeable surprise, but Ryou turned away and began rummaging through his bag as he pulled out the bottles inside the satchel. "I do, give me a moment," he replied almost absently. He set the bottles on the grass as he began muttering to himself. "Let's see…burn salve, truth serum, blister and boil ointment, now that won't help…heavens, I don't even know _what _this is, I'll have to look it up later…I hardly need the leech draught…Ah! Found it!"

Ryou held a large flask filled with neon red fluid, already pulling out a small wooden cup and pouring a measured amount into the cup. As he watched to make sure that he administered the proper amount, he heard Valon say, "I didn' know you cared, Kura."

"Call me that again and I'm going to cut your tongue out. And I don't care at all—I just don't want to listen to that idiot whine and moan for the next few hours about his sister."

Ryou barely stopped the smile from reaching his face. _I doubt that, Bakura,_ he said through the link.

**Oh, you think me merciful? Should I prove you wrong?**

Ryou winced as a spike of pain shot through his temples. _No need to do that, _he replied wearily, rising to his feet with the cup in hand. He crossed the clearing and gave the cup to Jou, making eye contact with the other man. "Listen, Jou. This potion's effects will last for several hours and will make it seem as if you have fully rested. In reality you haven't gained any energy back at all, and once the potion wears off you _will_ have to rest."

Jou gave Ryou a grateful glance. "Thank you," he said, though he seemed suddenly reluctant to drink the potion.

Yugi seemed to understand the reason behind Jou's discomfort. He cleared his throat to catch Jou's attention, and when the taller man looked over at him the wizard said, "You have nothing to fear from Ryou's potions. He's a potion master, so it's a very rare instance where his potions go wrong."

Jou hesitated for a moment longer, then took a small sip from the cup. He waited to see if anything happened before he drank the rest. His expression brightened as he finished. "It's bubbly stuff, isn't it?" he asked curiously, looking almost as if he wanted more. "A little too sweet for my tastes, but it's not bad—hey! I can stand on my own now!"

Jou's whole countenance brightened as he hopped on one foot experimentally; when he didn't lose his balance his grin widened and he pumped a fist into the air. "Now we're cookin'!" he exclaimed happily, doing a strange sort of dance to further test out the potion.

"So now what do we do, Master of Jigs?" Téa asked teasingly when Jou passed her.

Jou blinked, pausing almost comically in mid-motion before he sobered and turned to Yugi. "I suppose you're still going to tell me I can't try taking back the castle today," he remarked, though resignation colored his words.

Yugi's smile carried a heartfelt apology in it, though he did not reply.

Jou scratched the back of his head as a very small frown marred his features. "Well…okay then. If I can't go home today, I need to do a couple other things, such as finding the guards who got banished. Alister, did Jean Claude tell you where the other men are?"

Alister shook his head. "He never did. I think it was because he didn't want us trying to find a way to get in contact with them, in spite of the gag spells. I'm pretty sure they were taken outside of the country."

"I can use a locating spell to find out where they've gone," Yugi instantly offered. "It won't take up too much energy to find them. The issue then becomes how to get the men from wherever they are to here."

Yugi glanced at the Puzzle briefly before he continued. "Yami's too worn out to generate any more Shadow paths, which means we'll have to rely on a different method of transportation for the men."

Téa folded her arms, turning to look at Ryou and Bakura. "Bakura can create Shadow paths, so maybe—" she said, but at the thief's venomous glare she instantly stopped talking.

Marik was also shaking his head. "To create a Shadow path Bakura has to use Ryou's own energy. Given how tired Ryou is and the distance that will need to be traveled, Bakura can't do that right now. Why is everyone looking at me like that?" he added, noticing the skeptical looks being directed at him. "I've been with these guys for years, you think I don't know them by now?"

"What about the strengthenin' potion? Couldn' Ryou 'ave some o' that?"

"No. It only gives the illusion that you're fully rested. It doesn't actually replenish lost energy," replied Ryou almost instantly.

"So in other words, even if we find them we won't have a way to get them back in time. Great," Jou sighed, looking visibly frustrated.

A pause followed this statement, and then after a few seconds the silence was broken. "We could ask Kaiba for help."

Jou shot Yugi a startled look. "Wait, Kaiba?"

"The White Dragons are the fastest breed of dragons. They could easily fly in and out of a country in less than a day, and depending on how it's done we could easily get back the people who were banished. How many were sent away, Alister?"

Alister snorted. "Before you get your hopes up about this particular plan, let me remind you of just who we're depending on—this is _Kaiba_ we're talking about. We'll be lucky if we can even get in touch with him, let alone convince him to help us."

Yugi raised an eyebrow. "You leave the details on how to get Kaiba here to me. I can be quite convincing when I have to be."

Valon grinned. "Yeah, you just use your big puppy dog eyes on 'im," he said with a laugh. "There's no one alive tha' can resist tha' look."

The shorter wizard flushed, but he ignored Valon as he pulled out a small pouch from his side and opened it. Yugi pulled out what appeared to be a small bundle of brown fur and simply said, "_Animatio __multiplicamini."_

The fur instantly came alive, growing in size until it was roughly the size of a badger. Green scaled hands and feet grew from within the depths of the brown fur, while a pair of large, wide eyes opened and blinked at them several times.

"Yugi, wha' the 'eck is tha'?" Valon said, gawking at the little creature.

Yugi smiled fondly as the creature squeaked happily and the animal suddenly bounced surprisingly high; it nuzzled Yugi's cheek and the shorter man caught it in his arms. "His name's Kuriboh," he said happily, petting the creature. "He's going to help us get Kaiba here."

"Right, the cute little furball will break through Kaiba's cold demeanor and convince the Lord of Dragons to come to our aid." Marik could not hide the amused skepticism that colored his words.

Yugi did not reply, but he gently set Kuriboh down on the grass. "I need you to go get Kaiba," he instructed sternly, making certain he had eye contact. "It's very important that he comes here. Don't let up until he's in this clearing."

Kuriboh chirped once again affirmatively, and then with a squeal bounced away before anyone could stop it; the distance it traveled each time it hopped was unbelievably vast, and within seconds the little creature was out of sight of the clearing.

"You really think that little rodent has a chance of getting Kaiba here? I've seen cats hack up scarier hairballs," said Alister flatly.

"I do. Believe me, Kuriboh will get the job done," said Yugi evenly. "Now then. Let's come up with a plan, shall we?"

* * *

><p>"So explain why we can't go right now."<p>

"Jou, we've been over this five times now."

"Right, and I have yet to hear any really valid reasons."

"Then let me tell you for the fifth time in ten minutes. You're only standing because of the effects of a potion, which will no doubt run out in a couple hours, we don't know what to expect at your castle, and we can't rush in blindly without knowing what we're getting into. Do you even have a plan?"

"Yeah—get in, rescue my sister and Mai, and then kick Jean Claude's sorry butt outta my home. Do I need any further planning than that?"

"_Jou._"

The blond rolled his eyes and set one hand on his chin. "Téa, you worry too much."

"And you're too optimistic," she retorted. "Just because you're not cursed anymore doesn't mean you're invincible."

"No, but I can sure do a lot more now than I could while I was under Dartz's spell!" Jou said, shooting her an annoyed glance. He gave an impatient sigh when Téa scowled at him, glancing to Yugi. "How soon d'you think that Kuriboh thing will reach Kaiba?"

Yugi, who had been eating another bowl of stew, paused. "Any time now, if it hasn't already," he said simply, setting the bowl down. He pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly and Jou's expression softened.

"How're you holdin' up, Yug?" he asked, feeling slightly guilty for his impatience.

The wizard gave him a small smile at the nickname. "I'm better than I have been for the past few weeks. It's nothing to worry yourself over, Jou, I'll be all right."

"You should take some of that strength potion too," said Jou, but Yugi smiled and shook his head.

"I can't. It doesn't replace lost energy, and in my case I can't afford to be unaware of how tired I truly am. My magical core is still weakened, I need to be able to know when I've used too much magic," he replied. "Thank you, though."

"So what're we waitin' f'r?" Valon said, sounding impatient. "Le's go already. Tha' Kuriboh thing c'n reach us on the go, can' it?"

"I know you're worried about Raphael and Elya, Valon, but we can't do anything about it yet," said Yugi, though he looked rather reluctant to admit this. "Téa's right. We can't go rushing blindly in without knowing what we're getting into. I have no idea of the defenses that your castle has, especially now that Jean Claude has had time to alter things. I would assume there are the basics, but I have to see for myself what I'm up against in terms of magic."

"But I know how to get in the castle without any trouble!" Jou insisted. "I know how to get in and out of the castle like it was nothing!"

"They changed the defenses while you were gone, Prince Jousef," said Alister, and he too looked unhappy to speak. "Come to think of it, they may have changed it again since Jean Claude couldn't confirm that I died. He's arrogant, but he's not stupid."

"And that's to say nothing of the magical defenses the castle's got, thanks to my evil clone," Marik added, sounding bitter.

"Couldn't we get to the castle and see things for ourselves?" Téa asked, noticing Jou's crestfallen features. "Jou got in once before while he was cursed, remember? He wasn't a dragon then, so maybe things changed because the spell on him broke."

_I suspect Ishtar may have allowed him to pass that night primarily to put both Princess Mai and Jousef in emotional distress. If you recall, the maiden was frightened of Jousef because of his involuntary attack on her—Princess Mai's actions did more damage to Jousef than any counter spell Ishtar may have conjured._

The group jumped as Yami's weary voice resonated through the clearing; Jou flinched, though it was due to what Yami had said. They had nearly forgotten about the Enterran spirit currently resting in the Puzzle.

"And of course Ishtar's not some idiot who lets the magical defenses down," said Bakura as he came back into view. "I'd wager that if the little wizard set foot anywhere near that castle there'd be a curse hurled at him, to say nothing of any magical artifact we're carrying."

"Besides, he'd probably recognize every single one of us here, and that means Jean Claude knows of us too," said Alister, gesturing to the clearing around him. "Even if we tried sneaking in, there's no way we would get by. He's seen Valon and I, he knows about Jousef and Yugi—"

"—And Kura and Ryou are dead out too, as well as Téa and Marik," Valon added, ticking off the number on his fingers. "This Ishtar bloke even knows 'bout Rishid and Ishizu too, 'n' they 'aven't been 'ere tha' long."

"But that's to be expected," said Marik with an exasperated huff. "They're my brother and sister, of _course_ Ishtar would know…"

But he trailed off as a sudden thought occurred to him, one that made him freeze and caused his heart to nearly stop. There had been one other traveling with Ryou and his siblings when they had come to the clearing.

Before he could speak, however, Yugi suddenly gave a startled gasp as the Millennium Puzzle gleamed brightly. A small sphere of light was launched from the eye in the center of the Puzzle; as it reached the center of the clearing it abruptly grew in size, taking up almost a quarter of the clearing. In the orb they could see blurred colors starting to form into shapes, pale gray transforming into tall stone spires and a large drawbridge formed. A smudge of peach and shiny silver became an armed guard.

"This is the result of sight sharing powder," Ryou said, breaking the silence that had fallen. "I didn't know you had such a thing, Yugi. It's very rare."

"Well, yeah, but what're we lookin' at?" Valon asked, shooting Yugi a confused look. "I mean, who's on the other end of this?"

But Marik already knew whose perspective they were seeing, and when he spoke his voice trembled. "Yami, where did you say Sivya was going?"

A pause followed this statement, during which Yugi looked down at the Puzzle with a look of dawning horror. "Yami, you didn't. Tell me you did not send Sivya to the castle to spy on Jean Claude."

_I did not. The girl volunteered to go to the castle of her own accord._

"The same way Ryou did when you 'asked' him to go to Hermos?" Marik spat bitterly.

_Watch your tone, boy. _A threatening note entered Yami's words. _I made it very plain that she could refuse to go, and in spite of the danger she chose to accept my request. I did not enjoy asking such a thing from her, for I am very much aware of the danger she would be placed in. However, we are short on time and we must take a risk. Of all who are present in this clearing, she is the only one who stands half a chance of getting into the castle and of gathering the information we so desperately need._

"And besides, Marik, if Yami hadn't done it I would have made her go," drawled Bakura, earning an irate gaze from the Enterran. "I hate to agree with Yami on anything, but he's right. Ishtar hasn't seen her before and neither has Jean Claude. She will escape their notice.

"Now shut up," said Bakura irritably, silencing Marik with another glare. "The girl is at the gates."

* * *

><p>Sivya halted the sheep with her staff as they reached the shadow of the castle. She was still hidden by the cover of the trees, but she still had one thing left to do before she started on the dangerous task ahead of her. First, however, she had to make certain that the sheep she had with her would not wander off while she made the preparations—she preferred herding goats rather than sheep, as the wooly animals were rather stupid compared to goats.<p>

After making absolutely sure that the animals could not wander away, Sivya reached into the small bag at her side and lifted out a small glass vial, studying the luminescent powder resting inside the vial; she reached inside and carefully pinched only a small amount between her fingers, forcing her eye to stay open as she carefully sprinkled the powder in her eye.

The moment the powder came into contact a strange, pleasant tingle shot through her eye and she blinked rapidly, caught off guard by the sensation. She waited until it had passed before she repeated the process to the other eye, resisting the urge to rub her eyes as the powder started taking effect.

Once she finished, she then ushered the sheep forward and into the open, heading into the road that led to the castle gates; she could already see the guards overlooking the gates moving, most likely alerting the other men of her approach. As she got closer, she saw one man move through a door at the side of the large oak doors.

Yami had been very specific in giving instructions as to how to use the powder, she recalled as she continued forward.

_"This is sight-share powder," Yami said as he held the vial up to her. "It will allow us to see what you do. You will not need much, only a small pinch of powder in each eye."_

_Yami then showed her, reaching into the vial and showing her the proper amount pinched between his fingers. "This is the maximum amount of powder you can put in without setting off any guardian spells the castle will have, for we can be assured there will be some method of alerting Jean Claude of unfamiliar magic entering the castle grounds. Be careful that you do not give yourself any more than what I have shown you._

_"When you have reached your destination and after you have administered the powder, wait until you are at the gate before speaking out to activate the powder's effects. You will see plenty of things, including any spell currently in effect, but you mustn't let on that you are able to see anything out of the ordinary. I myself will have the powder in my eyes, so anything you see I will be able to broadcast to the others._

_"Once you have finished your task, return to the Shadow Path. It will take you to your brothers, wherever they may be. It will be safer for you if you do not return to this clearing."_

_"W-what do I say to activate this powder?" she asked hesitantly, wondering why she could not return._

_Yami gave her a small, encouraging sort of smile. "Here is what you say."_

Sivya lifted her chin bravely, squaring her shoulders as she strode forward. "I have arrived," she whispered as she reached the gates.

Almost instantly the strange tingling in both her eyes increased, forcing a startled gasp to escape her. It died within seconds, but a faint pressure behind her eyes remained as her vision refocused.

She knew the powder was at work, for the world had suddenly become sharper. The colors were bolder, more vivid than anything she'd seen before; as her eyes landed on the castle her gaze focused on a strange, iridescent bubble that surrounded the castle. It was barely visible against the stone walls, and for a moment she stared at it in some confusion before she realized she was looking at some form of magic. Yami had told her she would be able to see magic while using the powder.

As she approached she saw one man exit from a door set into the side of the gate and he barred her path, his hands on his hips. His shirt was not tucked in and he was unshaven, and as she drew close she caught the tell-tale scent of ale that rose in a choking wave from his clothing.

"What do you want, little girl?" came the gruff question as she drew even with him.

"I am but a humble shepherdess. I need to speak to His Royal Majesty. There is a matter I must bring to his attention." Sivya's voice was nervous but even when she replied.

The other man seemed to size her up before he smirked. "And if you can't see him right now?"

Sivya gestured to the sheep that were standing beside her. "Then I take these animals with me and make them my own. This is the fifth time I've had to cull my flock of the prince's livestock, and I tire of constantly chasing them away."

"That's a crime, sweetheart," replied the man, his smirk widening. He leaned forward, putting himself into her space; Sivya backed up a step, resisting the temptation to smack him away with her staff.

"I see no other method of reaching the prince. I either speak to him today or I keep his livestock in my care," she said coldly.

There was movement from behind the man and a bearded guard stepped forward; around his neck shone a faint collar of light, tinted green. Sivya fought not to stare at it, but she could not help noticing the strange band of green light that rose into the sky above him, disappearing to some point behind the wall that she could not yet see.

"Keith, let the girl pass. Her livelihood depends on her flock and if the prince's sheep are somehow escaping the royal shepherds it must be brought to his attention," said the newcomer, sounding somewhat exasperated.

Keith grunted, sneering at Sivya before standing aside. "Fine, old man, whatever. You take her then. I've got other things to be doing."

_Like getting drunk_, she thought distastefully as she maneuvered the sheep past him, following after the older man as the drawbridge lowered. As she passed the man gave her one last smile that made her skin crawl before he followed after them; thankfully the man stayed at his post near the gate, for Sivya was not certain what would have happened if he had continued after her.

"You've chosen the wrong time to visit our castle, young woman," said the older man as she caught up to him. "Much is going on at the moment."

"If I had my way I would not have come at all. I do not wish to be accused of stealing the prince's livestock, however, and it's getting to be a problem," she replied as they crossed into the courtyard.

She paused as she surveyed her surroundings, caught off guard by the sudden sights that leapt out at her.

The courtyard was bustling with activity. Servants were coming and going across the grounds, carrying silk banners, armfuls of flowers, and golden decorations that gleamed in the sunlight; like the guard escorting her, every person she saw had that strange green collar around their necks. Each of them also had what appeared to be a leash rising from the back of their necks, and when she followed their paths she found they seemed to focus to a point over a castle tower.

"Young lady?"

"I'm sorry," she said, suddenly remembering her surroundings. "I've never been inside a castle before. It's beautiful," she continued, sounding earnest. It was true, after all—she had never set foot in a castle and in spite of her situation she could not help but admire the beautiful grounds.

The older man relaxed, offering her a tired smile. "I am pleased we could earn such a reaction from you. If you would like, we can stop by the stables to board the sheep inside them before I take you to the throne room."

Sivya allowed the man to lead her toward what was obviously the stables, but as they walked her eyes were drawn to the red ring surrounding one building and she stopped once again; it was almost like a strange sort of halo, though there was something sinister about the light.

"That's the guardhouse, young miss," said the other man, noticing that she had stopped. "Come."

Sivya reluctantly looked away and followed after them, but as she passed the building she noticed one more green line rising from the base of the castle, joining the others that hung in the sky above her. She nearly stopped again before realizing the action would only draw more suspicion to herself, and she then drove the sheep forward. Hopefully Yami would be able to make something of that one solitary line.

They reached the stables without further incident and had no sooner finished herding the sheep into a stall when a sharp, commanding voice rung through the stables. "Jethro, what are you doing with that girl?"

The man escorting her—Jethro—turned to the man standing in the stable's entrance. This one had a receding hairline and what Sivya believed was called a monocle over one eye, and as she watched the newcomer folded his arms. "Forgive me, Captain Gurimo," replied Jethro, gesturing to Sivya. "The young woman comes bearing a complaint and I feel that Prince Jean Claude should hear her out. Some of the sheep from the royal flocks have kept ending up in her own."

Gurimo studied her suspiciously before tipping his head to the door. "Go to the guardhouse, Jethro, and remain there with the others. I will take over here," he said coolly.

Jethro's features darkened but he obeyed; he stopped long enough to bid Sivya farewell before he exited the stables. The other man had not even left yet, however, when Gurimo stepped forward almost impatiently.

"Let's go, girl. There's not enough time to deal with you, as we're all very busy," he said waspishly, and Sivya somewhat bristled under the brusque demeanor. She followed him nonetheless, knowing that it was vitally important that she make it inside the castle.

They crossed the courtyard once again, though it was at a far faster pace than before and Sivya nearly had to jog to keep up with Gurimo as he strode forward; within minutes they reached the interior of the castle and Sivya paused in the entrance, looking around curiously.

It was odd, she noted as her gaze traveled around the hall. She had seen plenty of guards outside on the walls and in the courtyard, but aside from Gurimo there seemed to be no men guarding the interior of the castle. A part of her wondered why that was the case, for if something happened inside there would not be—

"Wait here, girl. The prince will be here soon enough," ordered Gurimo sharply, startling her out of her thoughts. "In the meantime do not get in the way."

On that note, the man turned and strode out of the castle, leaving Sivya by herself in the hall.

* * *

><p>"Well," said Yugi once Sivya had stopped in the castle, "it's about what I expected. An anti-magic barrier around the castle, as well as the gag spell on the guards. The spell on that one building was unexpected, though."<p>

"That was the guardhouse, and from what it sounds like that's where Prince Jousef's men are," said Alister grimly. "Gurimo said to join the others, so it stands to reason that they're all in there."

The wizard's lips instantly thinned. "And that's where they're going to stay. That's another barrier, but it's designed to keep people or items in a certain place. If anything steps out of that building that means they'll be incinerated on the spot."

"But why concentrate all of his guards on the walls or outside the castle?" Ryou asked then. "That seems a bit risky, because if something goes wrong inside there isn't anyone to respond."

"I believe Ishtar is the reason behind that," said Alister flatly. "He's a one-man army. You won't need guards as long as he's in the building."

"Yeah, but still…it's almost like he's expecting something to happen outside the castle," said Jou with a frown. "He probably thinks I'm still a dragon and that I'm going to try something…or am I wrong on that?"

"I'd say you'd be right," confirmed Yugi. "The question becomes why he'd expect such a thing. Unless I'm much mistaken, I don't think he knows you're free from the curse yet. It's only a matter of time before he becomes aware, though."

Téa, however, had noticed something while they had been watching Sivya's progress. "It seems like they're preparing for some sort of gathering, aren't they?" she commented then.

"Wonder why they'd be 'avin' a party, though," said Valon with a thoughtful frown. "I like parties as much as the next guy, but tha' seems kinda strange."

Alister snorted. "Yeah, well, he's fond of throwing parties. The flowers are new, however."

"And what about those strange green lines?" asked Téa then.

"Those were linked to the gag spells, if I'm not much mistaken, and judging by the way they seemed to concentrate on that one tower I'd be willing to bet that's where Jean Claude is keeping both Princess Shizuka and Elya," Marik replied grimly. "I'm wondering about that one line coming from the ground, though."

"The dungeon's under the castle," said Jou promptly. "I wouldn't be surprised if Jean Claude tossed a few people in there."

"I'm more worried about the barrier surrounding the castle, to be honest," Yugi admitted, frowning deeply. "It's similar to mine, except it doesn't allow _anything_ with any trace of magic to pass. My barrier's a little more selective, as dark creatures or ill-intending magic cannot pass. Sivya seemed to get by without setting off the alarm, but that was because she had only the barest of traces of magic on her and sight-share powder in small doses is designed to go undetected."

"When you said anything carrying magic could set off the alarm, does that mean the Millennium Items count as well?" asked Jou, glancing at Ryou and Yugi.

"It does," Ryou replied, looking troubled. "They're chock full of magic. I don't think even Bakura can get by, as he uses Shadow magic to form his body."

The thief grunted, but a strange smirk lit his face. "Please. Yugi's not the only one in possession of rare magical items. That won't be the first anti-magic barrier I've had to get through."

Marik had barely spoken the entire time Sivya had been inside the castle, though his jaw and fists were clenched and he found it very hard to keep his temper in check. He could not deny that he was angry that Yami had once again used someone else to do his own bidding, but he also knew that both Bakura and Yami were right. Sivya had been about the only one who Ishtar had not noticed, so it made sense to ask her; as for the manner in which she had been asked, he also understood why Yami had been so secretive. Marik would have not allowed Sivya to put herself in harm's way had he known in advance where she was going.

Still, however, he could not shake the distinct feeling of unease that had settled on him as he had watched events unfold inside the floating orb, and his unease only intensified when he saw Sivya start to move out of the main hall and into a side passage. "What is she doing?" he asked rather sharply, catching the attention of those around him.

Yugi frowned as well. "I don't know," he admitted, looking worried. "I can't communicate with her at all right now, so I'm afraid we'll have to wait and see what she's up to."

* * *

><p>Sivya was certain that what she was doing was a very, very, <em>very bad<em> idea, but while she had been waiting it had occurred to her that there might be more to the interior defenses of the castle than what she could see. It would not help anyone if there was some hidden defense located inside, she knew, and after a very intense internal debate she had decided to wander through the interior of the castle. If nothing else she could claim she had gotten lost.

Her eyes took in the lavish surroundings almost curiously, though she kept her eyes open for any sign of spellwork or of guards who would hinder her progress. It was hard to believe that Jou lived in this place, as he seemed to be a simple sort of man that didn't need all of this décor—but if she remembered right, Jou had not lived inside the castle until recently. Perhaps on his return he would redecorate.

As she passed down the quiet passage it occurred to her that there was no sign of anything out of the ordinary, both magical and physical. It was strange, alarming, and disturbing, especially since at times she felt as if she was being watched; the hairs on the back of her neck and on her arms started tingling unpleasantly and the feeling only intensified as she continued.

She halted when she saw that there were two paths to take. One seemed to lead down further into the interior, with more rooms and doors down the hall that almost begged to be explored. The other led into a winding staircase that seemed to weave its way to the upper levels.

Sivya was still trying to decide which path she should take when the sound of a woman's laughter filtered down the stairs and she heard footsteps start down the stone steps. Sivya froze, her eyes darting wildly to find some sort of hiding place before she was seen, but she did not get the chance to move—two figures came into view as they rounded a curve on the staircase, a man and a woman, and as the woman caught her gaze Sivya realized she recognized her.

"Princess?" she asked before she could stop herself.

* * *

><p>Jou's whole face seemed to slacken as his eyes rounded in horror, stiffening at the sight of the woman that was nearly clinging to the man's arm. "Mai," he breathed, his voice barely audible.<p>

"That must mean the man next to her is Jean Claude," Ryou deduced, gaining confirmation from the way Alister's features darkened in recognition.

"So tha's the git who's got Raph 'n' Elya locked up somewhere, 'n' 'e's the bloke who nearly killed Alister," Valon said, his accent thickening as his features darkened. "Seems like he's a pansy."

"Looks are deceiving. He looks like nothing, but he has all the cunning of a viper," said Alister coldly.

Jou, however, was not focusing on Jean Claude. Instead, his eyes had settled on Mai's surprised face as he searched for some sign that would tell him if she was under another spell. What was she doing on Jean Claude's arm? Was she acting? She had to be, there was no way on earth that Mai would ever settle for that arrogant farce of a man. But the doubt was there, poisoning his thoughts, and his uncertainty only intensified when Mai turned to Jean Claude and spoke.

"_Do we know her, honey?" _she asked, sounding confused and curious.

Honey.

She had called Jean Claude "honey".

Jou violently spasmed, feeling as if someone was twisting his heart like a dishrag. "Memory spell," he said gruffly, sounding almost desperate. "Tell me she's under a memory spell, Yugi."

Yugi looked completely sympathetic as he replied. "I don't know. While the powder allows me to see magic, some spells require a more concentrated exposure to the powder. Sivya's only got enough to see the major spells, but there's not enough for me to see something as subtle as a memory spell."

But Jean Claude was already focusing on Sivya with a small frown. "_I must admit, my love, that I don't rightly know who this young girl is. I know she isn't one of my servants…how did you get inside the castle?" _he asked then, sounding suspicious.

Jou waited for Mai to protest being called "my love." She'd never liked it and would not allow anyone to call her that; she had never even allowed Jou to teasingly address her as such. When Mai only continued looking at Sivya, he felt as if his insides were twisting uncomfortably.

Marik's own attention was on Sivya, who seemed to have frozen in place at the presence of the royals. "Sivya, say something," he growled, eyes lighting with alarm. "For God's sake, Sivya, don't just stand there."

Sivya seemed at a lost and was starting to stammer an explanation when a girl's voice came from somewhere behind her. "_Oh, there you are!"_

Sivya turned, allowing the group to see the purple-haired maid hurrying down the hall to them. The girl's eyes lit with relief when she saw Sivya. "_I'm so sorry, my lord! This girl is here to see you and I said I'd escort her, but I moved too fast and I lost her. Miho is so sorry!"_ she exclaimed, bowing to the royals and wringing her hands nervously.

Jou marginally relaxed. "Miho's a friend," he explained. "She'll help Sivya."

Bakura, however, looked far too suspicious of this turn of events. "What perfect timing…and how interesting, she knows that Sivya is not supposed to be there."

"Given how finicky Jean Claude is, Miho's probably trying to make sure Sivya doesn't get herself banished or worse," said Alister, though he too looked skeptical.

Bakura did not look convinced. "If you say so."

Sivya seemed to recover at Miho's presence, however, for when Jean Claude looked at Sivya once again she spoke out. "_Forgive me as well for wandering the halls. It is my first time inside any such place, you see, and I'm glad that it's in such a beautiful castle. I should have been paying attention to my guide."_

Jean Claude instantly brightened at the praise. "_Oh why thank you, my dear,"_ he said cordially. "_No harm was done by your wandering. I do have to ask, though, as to why you've come. You certainly don't look as if you are from these parts."_

Marik snorted. "No, really? What gave that away?" he asked derisively.

Sivya gave her explanation about the sheep ending up in her flock, and Jean Claude laughed when she finished. _"Shepherds seem to be idiots half the time, don't they? I mean, one sheep looks like all the rest to them, and they can't be bothered to keep the beasts where they belong."_

Even though no one could tell, Marik knew Sivya was bristling at the insult.

"_I'll have a talk with my shepherds about this, however, so that it doesn't happen again. Is there anything else that you came for, my dear?"_

Sivya cleared her throat. "_Well, actually…I couldn't help but notice, my lord, that your servants seemed to be preparing for some sort of celebration. May I ask what's the occasion?"_

Mai giggled. "_Don't tell me you haven't heard?"_ she asked, sounding almost playful. "_Prince Jean Claude and I are getting married tomorrow."_

Jou paled at Mai's jubilant declaration, horror and fury rising inside of him. "WHAT?!"

"That soon?" said Ryou, flabbergasted. "It hasn't even been a day since her letter reached us!"

"Jean Claude certainly doesn't waste time. He's probably moving fast to avoid any further interruptions in his plan," remarked Bakura idly.

"_Oh, you are? Congratulations to you both," _replied Sivya warmly, though she also seemed as surprised as those watching her. "_I was wondering, then, if you would humor a humble shepherdess's request."_

_"Name it, my dear. You have nothing to be afraid of."_

_"Well…you see, I have a friend who's in a dancing troupe and they've fallen on hard times. I know they would be thrilled for a chance to perform in front of such an esteemed audience, especially given the occasion."_

Bakura's eyes lit up as he realized what Sivya was up to. "You clever little mouse girl," he said. "You're giving us an opening to get inside the castle."

Yugi had realized this as well and was already turning to Téa. "How fast can you get to your troupe?"

"If I run, I'll be there in a few hours. By horseback, though, I can make it in less than two hours," she replied firmly.

Valon had left the very moment Sivya had started talking about the dancing troupe, and when the others turned it was to find the Aurosian leading out one of the horses from the underground stables. "Bet you all 'ad forgotten 'bout them," he said with a grin, gesturing to the horse. "I don' reckon there's any time to tack 'im, though—"

Téa crossed the clearing in only three strides and easily hopped onto the horse's bare back. "I grew up on a farm with no saddles," she said with a smile. "I can manage to ride bareback."

Yugi waved his staff, murmuring a spell under his breath, and a light pink aura settled on Téa. When the girl shot him a startled glance the wizard flushed. "A spell for protection. We don't know if Ishtar is watching and I'd feel better knowing that you're safe."

"I'll be fine, Yugi," she assured him, though her eyes softened. "You be careful while I'm gone, okay?"

"Enough with the lovey dovey crap. Go already!" snarled Bakura sharply, and after shooting an embarrassed scowl at him Téa dug her heels into the horse's sides and took off into the forest.

When Téa had gone, their attention returned to the orb where Sivya was still talking. "…_so if it would not be too much trouble, Your Majesty, might they come to perform at your wedding?"_

_"Please say yes, darling!" _Mai said almost ecstatically. _"Dancing caravans always have the most gorgeous of dresses, and who knows? Maybe I might be able to get one of them as a wedding present."_

_"Then consider it done, my love,"_ said Jean Claude fondly. He looked to Sivya and said, "_Please inform your friend that their presence is required at the wedding tomorrow. Do be quick about it. Miho, be a gem and escort this young girl to the gates. We don't want her ending up lost again."_

_"I'll go as quickly as I can," _Sivya vowed earnestly, curtsying to the prince. "_Thank you, Your Majesty."_

Miho motioned for Sivya to follow her, and Mai and Jean Claude turned down the other hallway as Sivya turned. Within seconds the couple were out of sight, rounding around the corner; their voices carried down the hall, laughter reaching their ears.

Jou let out a strangled sort of whine and reached for Mai, even though he knew he couldn't actually touch her. "It's an act," he said miserably, trying to reassure himself. "Mai's just actin'."

"I don't know," said Ryou doubtfully. "If she is acting, that's one of the best jobs I've ever seen. I really don't think she's pretending, Jou—as much as I hate to admit it, she's acting as if she's under a spell."

"At least Sivya's gonna get out okay now," said Valon, gesturing to the floating orb. "See, Marik, nothin' to worry about."

"_Thank you for helping me," _said Sivya gratefully to Miho, catching their attention once more. "_I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't arrived."_

Miho turned, a pleasant smile on her face. "_It was not any trouble. I was wondering at first what you were doing wandering the hallways, but then it occurred to me that there might be something you were up to…am I right, little mouse?"_

Ryou was the first one to see the flicker of dark purple that lined Miho's body, and too late he realized what it meant. "Oh no!_"_ he cried. "Sivya, look out—!"

But it was too late. Dark tendrils of Shadows launched themselves at Sivya, pinioning her hands over her head and pinning her to the wall. A startled gasp sounded as Sivya hit the wall, her staff clattering to the floor uselessly.

Marik started forward, his face paling in fear. "_Sivya!"_

Miho's body blurred inside the cloud of dark smoke that had risen, and a dark chuckle sounded from inside it. "_My my, little mouse, I nearly hadn't recognized you at first. I felt the barest hint of magic, however, and I came to see what was going on…and look what I find."_

The smoke dissipated as it formed into a body, pale blond hair and tan skin replacing Miho's features. A pair of cold lavender eyes bored into Sivya's, and an eerie smile spread across his features. "_So, then, little mouse, tell me: what _are_ you doing in this castle?"_

The air left Marik's lungs as he stared at the man, completely paralyzed by the cold gaze peering at them through the orb. He was essentially looking in a mirror, at himself…had he _really_ created such a terrifying monster?

Was this what he truly was on the inside?

No one could speak in the clearing, all eyes now watching the proceedings tensely. Yugi's hands kept rising and falling, clearly trying to think of a way to help the trapped Enterran girl, and Jou was bristling in place; Bakura was watching with narrowed eyes, while Alister looked both angry and haunted all at once.

"_It doesn't matter. The fear on your face is answer enough for me. You're doing something you're not supposed to be doing. I don't know or care what it is, and frankly I'm bored. What would you say to playing a little game?"_

Ishtar then pulled out a strange golden rod from behind his back, and Bakura tensed even further; no one could see Yami, but they all knew that he too was stiffening as he recognized the item Ishtar was holding.

"_This is the Millennium Rod, my dear little mousy," _he said with manic cheerfulness. "_I won't bother using Shadow magic on you, but there's a handy little dagger inside it that would _love_ to get to know you."_

Marik, however, had had enough. He was _not_ going to let Ishtar bring harm to anyone else, not while he was watching and not while he could still do something about it. Ishtar had attacked Valon, he'd forced Jou into harming Mai, he had even mortally wounded a helpless dragon kit, and Marik would not allow Ishtar to harm anyone else if he could help it.

But how? How could he stop this from happening? He racked his brain desperately for ideas as his eyes wandered the clearing. "Do something, Marik," he muttered to himself, his eyes never leaving Ishtar's as the man advanced on Sivya. "Come on, think."

And then his eyes fell on both Yugi and Ryou.

A sudden idea hit him then, and while it was both stupid and dangerous he was left with little other option; if he did nothing then he would end up helplessly watching Sivya get brutally murdered.

He forced his eyes shut, mentally reaching out and focusing every last thought he had on Ishtar. Ryou had told him once about how mind links worked, and while he had scoffed at the notion of two minds being connected then he had still remembered what Ryou had told him.

At first there was nothing there, no change at all in Marik's mind. He did not give up, however, and he kept reaching blindly into the recesses of his mind. _Come on, I know you're in here somewhere—_

And then he felt an answering pulse spike through his thoughts, a pressure that resisted his reach. Marik smirked in triumph, pushing back harder against the resistance. _There you are._

Now he was engaged in a strange sort of battle, during which the pressure in his mind mounted; the more he pushed, the higher the presence resisted, and after a certain point Marik feared to stop pushing back. His hands clenched at his sides, the fabric of his pants balling under his grip, and his jaws clenched so hard that he felt his teeth grinding; from outside his thoughts he heard vague voices calling his name in alarm, but he did not stop.

_Let…me…IN! _

And without any sort of warning the pressure gave way beneath Marik's reach and he was falling and—

* * *

><p><em>—and he was no longer in a forest clearing, he was standing in a corridor lined by stone, a girl pinned to the wall across from him. He was only inches from her, towering over the frightened girl with the dagger poised dangerously close to her throat…<em>

_…With an effort he forced the dagger down, making himself back away until he hit the wall behind him. The shadows fell and released the girl, she fell to her knees and stared with wide eyes at him, and with a tremendous amount of effort he forced his own jaws to move…_

_"Sivya…go…run now…run, do you hear me…!"_

_The girl started at being addressed, honey-hued eyes widening even further as she realized what was happening. "M-Marik?"_

_"SIVYA, RUN!" he roared, and pain lit between his eyes as something inside him suddenly began furiously fighting his presence._

_Tthe girl instantly sprang to her feet and after grabbing her staff practically flew down the passage…but he did not watch her go, he could not, for he was now fighting against the presence he had overshadowed and he was losing—_

**GET OUT YOU LITTLE FOOL.**

_And then, as if he was being torn in half, Marik felt himself being expelled and he fell once more—_

* * *

><p>"Marik! <em>MARIK!"<em>

His eyes snapped open and his head shot upright with a sharp gasp. He realized that everyone—even Alister and Bakura—were giving him mingled looks of fear and alarm.

Bakura recovered first, his features darkening in fury, and the moment Marik looked at him he promptly punched the Enterran. "Are you _completely mad_?" he roared, mahogany eyes flashing.

Marik staggered backwards, pain igniting in his jaw. He glowered at the thief, ignoring the pounding headache that had settled in his temples. "I couldn't just stand by and do nothing!" he retorted, though his words lacked any fire to them. He felt weak and oddly shaky, and the pain in his head was increasing by the second. "Ishtar's done enough damage as it is!"

"But you opened the link, Marik!" snarled Bakura furiously. "What, do you believe it's a one way link? No, didn't even stop to think about that, did you?"

"He could have overwhelmed you," Ryou said faintly. "He could have easily overwhelmed you and wiped out your existence if you had done something wrong."

"Well he's not taking over. Stop worrying," Marik said flatly, rubbing his jaw gingerly. He noticed that the sight-sharing orb had dissipated, and he looked over to Yugi. "She got away?" he asked.

The shorter man nodded slowly. "Sivya had just cleared the castle and was in the forest when the powder expired. With any luck she'll reach the Shadow path and she'll be out of Ishtar's reach soon enough," he said.

Marik relaxed. He had successfully stopped Ishtar from claiming another victim, and he'd managed to overshadow his other personality on his very first try. That was a victory in his book.

He was still reveling in this fact when the first stab of white-hot agony shot through his temples.

The pain ignited at a point between his eyes and spread to the base of his skull, traveling like fire through his body. His jaws unwillingly shut and he stiffened in place with a muffled moan, his hands rising helplessly to grab at his head in a futile attempt to stop the waves of sheer agony rolling through him.

**_I DID NOT APPRECIATE YOUR ATTEMPT TO POSSESS ME, BOY._**

The voice thundered painfully through his mind and he tried to move, tried to fall to his knees or to run or do something…_please, please, make it stop, let it end, please please PLEASE…!_

Yugi saw the way the Enterran had frozen and the way he was doubling over, and he hurried forward with a fair amount of concern. "Marik!" he cried in alarm, hand outstretched to grab his shoulder.

"_Don't touch him!" _

Two voices roared the command in tandem as the light in the clearing dimmed, and Yugi felt a wave of Shadow magic rise from the Puzzle. He was forced backwards, almost out of the clearing altogether, and Yami rematerialized in front of him; his body was mostly dark shadows and he was barely visibly, but the golden Eye shown on his forehead as shadows spread defensively across the grass.

Bakura also moved in front of Ryou and Valon, using the Shadows to bodily toss both of them behind him. His eyes shone with a crimson light as the Ring gleamed on his chest, the mahogany orbs shifting into a blood red hue.

Jou and Alister were seized by another wave of Shadow magic and the two of them were hauled into the bushes altogether, a barrier forming around them both and trapping both of them inside it, and Yugi realized that it was to hide them from sight.

Marik did not see any of this happen. He was trapped in a world of agony. His vision was dark, bright explosions of color blinding him as the pain mercilessly washed through him, and he felt that at any moment he would come apart.

**_You truly believed you could make me submit to you? You, who spent years remaining unaware of my existence? Foolish boy! _**

**_There is a price to pay for your arrogance, you little wretch—and I intend to make you pay it in full._**

And Marik was bodily shoved into a corner of his own mind, unable to fight against the overwhelming presence that was overshadowing him, and though he was screaming in his own mind not one sound physically escaped him.

Against his will he felt his jaws move, a throaty chuckle leaving him as the light in the clearing dimmed. A new wave of agony blinded him and inside his mind he fell to his knees, desperately curling in on himself as he succumbed to the pain, wishing only that it would end…_make it stop, make it stop…SOMEONE HELP ME!_

Another new wave of pain washed through him as his body unwillingly moved to face Bakura and Yami, an insane grin spreading across his features as he surveyed the people watching him.

"Ahh, the Nameless King and the Thief King. Majesties, it seems we've finally been given the opportunity to meet in person. Allow me to introduce myself," he said with a mocking bow, smiling up at them savagely. "I am Ishtar."


	34. Something Wicked This Way Comes

_WHOA NOW TWO CHAPTERS OUT IN THE SAME MONTH. Just in time for Thanksgiving, might I add...also, kudos if anyone knows where the title for this chapter came from. Given what's in this update, I felt it was appropriate :D_

_It's another chapter that broke the 10k word count (oops), but given that there's a lot of ground to cover before the real action starts and that there's a holiday coming up I figure "Happy Early Thanksgiving". This gives you something to read tomorrow whilst you're digesting your turkey dinners :D_

_Speaking of Thanksgiving, you know what I'm thankful for? All you readers either leaving me reviews or following me. Whether you have a signed account or you're an anon, I still say "THANK YOU" and feel grateful that I'm able to garner your attention. As always, I hope to continue impressing all you lovely readers._

* * *

><p>Bakura was the first to react, a small snort escaping him and breaking the stunned silence that had fallen. "Oh please. This isn't a face to face meeting," he stated, folding his arms. "You're not truly here. You're just acting through Marik and you don't even have your Shadow Item with you. Given that little detail, I'm certain even you wouldn't be stupid enough to take on two Shadow users right this minute."<p>

Marik—or rather, Ishtar—bowed at the waist. His body seemed as disjointed as a marionette doll and Yugi felt goosebumps rise at the sight. "Very good, my liege," he said, a taunt in his reply. His voice was far colder and more menacing than anything Yugi had heard before. "One key detail is wrong, though. Though the distance would normally be too far for me to try anything, the gap was closed considerably when the child opened the door."

So saying, one of Marik's hands lifted and Valon yelped as a fallen log was catapulted into the forest; it would have hit Bakura, but the thief had simply sidestepped it and watched with narrowed eyes as the log sailed past him.

"You see? Now, given _that_ detail, it would be best for _you_ to tread lightly around _me._"

Lavender eyes moved about the clearing, settling on Valon and Yugi for seconds before another eerie grin lit his face. "So…the little wizard has recovered after all," he said casually. "I'll have to do better next time."

Yami moved in front of Ishtar's gaze, red eyes alight with menace. "Do not try it."

"Oh please," Ishtar sneered. "You are in no position to threaten me. You barely have enough energy to form, let alone stop me. Even as far as I am now, I am not above attempting to use the Rod on him to make him kill himself…not unlike the Aurosian over there, who came close to slitting his own wrists the last time I had him."

Valon started, color draining from his face as Ishtar's words hit him. "When I _what_?" he repeated, feeling sick. Now he understood why Alister had been so reluctant to tell him what had transpired when Valon had been at the river months before.

But Ishtar was no longer looking at Yugi or Valon. Instead, that frightening gaze had gone past them both to settle on the aura of swirling shadows in the bushes. An eyebrow piqued in interest.

"Ooh, so what's that over there?" he asked nonchalantly, directing the question at Yami and Bakura. "Would that where you've stashed the little princeling? Don't look so surprised, _Ryou_," he added when Ryou gasped. "Did you think I didn't sense the amount of magic that was suddenly dispersed from this forest this morning? I know that dear Jousef is freed from his curse. I just don't know where he's gone."

Bakura laughed, the sound echoing harshly through the clearing. "And you're seriously expecting an answer to that question?"

Ishtar shrugged carelessly. "It would be best for little Marik's sake if you cooperate. He's not coping well with my sudden return. Still, I can force him to show me everything that has transpired this morning."

As if to prove a point, he tapped his temple twice and Yugi started as he heard a disembodied wail of pain start to sound through the clearing, the voice jarringly familiar.

"_Let him go!"_ snarled Yugi over the sound of Marik's cries, reaching for his staff.

Yami reacted faster, moving the staff just out of the shorter wizard's reach as a tendril of shadow launched itself at the Enterran. It seemed to go for Ishtar's face, but seconds before it would have hit the spear moved, instead grazing his cheek. "Enough, Ishtar," he said icily. "You've proven your point. "

Ishtar raised a hand to touch the slice on his face, contemplated the blood that coated his fingertips, and then popped them into his mouth thoughtfully. "It's been quite some time since I've bled," he said conversationally when he pulled his fingers out of his mouth. "I've almost forgotten the taste of my own blood."

Nausea settled like a heavy blanket over Yugi and he once again looked to his staff, biting his lower lip. Maybe if he used a simple summoning charm he could get it into his hands…then he could try to free Marik.

**Yugi, do not try such a thing when your magic is at its weakest. I do not know what Ishtar is capable of right now and I cannot split my focus.**

Yami's warning echoed his thoughts, and after sounding a reluctant acquiescence Yugi lowered his hands. He looked over to Valon, who looked as if he was seriously contemplating rushing at Ishtar to physically attack him. "Don't, Valon," he said, thoroughly unhappy with the situation. "Attacking Ishtar right now only hurts Marik."

"Do somethin', then," he replied tensely, his fists clenching in the grass as Marik's agonized wails increased in volume.

Yugi shot him a helpless look, and Valon glowered at the ground.

"If you're done conversing with each other you should turn your attention back to me," said Ishtar flatly, and abruptly Marik's voice was cut off. "Now then, Majesties, do you mind deigning to explain to me what the little mouse was doing outside of her nest?"

"If you're such a mind-reader, Ishtar, then look through Marik's memories," Bakura retorted flatly.

Ishtar chuckled. "Ah, but that would be far too easy to do. If I so desired, I could easily alert Jean Claude about the girl and he can order her back. I for one was not satisfied by her escape."

Yami suddenly smirked. "So you rely solely on your precious master. Jean Claude must be someone truly important to you, then," he remarked derisively.

Ishtar's features lost the amused look that had been present for the duration of their encounter thus far. For just the briefest of seconds his eyes flickered as they narrowed, and when he spoke his voice came as a low, menacing growl.

"You are the second to speak to me of that man's role," he said after several tense moments had passed. "The woman also taunted me in the same fashion, and look how she's ended up—a brainless, blithering, shallow doll, one who is hanging on the arm of an even bigger idiot. A perfect little pair of lovebirds, aren't they?"

Jou had been watching the proceedings from inside the barrier, though he had nearly started forward at the sound of Marik's screams; while Ishtar could not see or step into the barrier, Alister and Jou could leave the barrier and bear witness to what was happening. When he and Alister had been thrown into there a warning from both Bakura and Yami had kept them in there—neither were to move from inside, for it was both shielding them from Shadow magic and keeping their sole advantage from being discovered. Ishtar of course knew about Jou, but they did not know if he knew Alister still yet lived.

At Ishtar's words, however, anger blazed through his numb disbelief and his fists clenched at his sides. It was a very deliberate taunt, one designed to rouse a reaction out of Jou.

Like Jou cared.

"If you've hurt one hair on Mai's head I'll rip you apart, regardless of your stupid Shadow item!" he snarled angrily, starting forward.

He had not realized he had been heard until he saw Ishtar look over and heard that eerie voice give an amused chuckle. "Oh, so the princeling _is_ back there," remarked the Enterran, glancing at the barrier once again. "I'd wondered. I'm only sorry to report I couldn't make her losing her memories for the second time more painful."

"He's baiting you," Alister warned quietly, putting a hand on the bristling boy's shoulder. "Don't reply."

"I'd think taking her memories would be a small mercy for her, don't you?" Ishtar continued with a smirk. "After all, what she remembered prior to now was rather traumatic, wasn't it…_demon_?"

"I'm not a demon. Don't you even try going that route," said Jou shakily, suddenly not liking this turn of events.

"No? Oh, but my poor little princeling, I 'tried' nothing. _You're_ the one who nearly killed the woman."

Jou's lips parted in a gasp as the memories rose once more to the surface, rising before he could stop them—

_The world turning red, his thoughts fogging over to simply _kill, kill, destroy all in your sight_…the way his claws had passed through Mai's shoulder, like a knife through paper…Mai's terrified eyes looking up at him as he advanced on her…"GET AWAY FROM ME!"_

Jou looked away then, his jaw tightening in both anger and self-loathing. His clenched fists tightened enough to leave crescent shaped cuts into his palm and he bit his lip hard, trying to fight back the wave of overwhelming emotions that rocked him.

Jou could argue that he had not done anything to Mai, that Ishtar had forced him into it…but it had not been Ishtar's talons that had nearly torn Mai's arm off, it had not been Ishtar himself who had nearly killed Mai.

That had all been his doing, and it had all been because he had not been strong enough to break Ishtar's control.

Ishtar seemed bored by the lack of response, for he turned away from the barrier to focus on Yami and Bakura. "Now that I've silenced the mutt, it's back to business. I for one find the princeling boring right now. Do be good little pawns and tell me what you were up to."

"What business is it o' yours?" Valon said angrily before anyone could speak. "You can' make us tell you wha' we were doin'. Tha' fancy Rod o' yours don' reach this far, so the most you've been doin' is bluffin'!"

Alister growled under his breath. "Valon, shut up," he muttered, though a concerned light had entered his eyes.

Ishtar was not bothered or intimidated by Valon's words. In fact, he appeared to be amused by the response. "I showed you earlier that I_ can_ affect you across this distance, but then again I have a much closer target right here in this castle I can access."

"Last I checked, I wasn' _in_ a castle. Stupid."

"You may not be behind these stone walls, but Raphael is."

Valon froze face and Alister drew in a sharp breath, his hands instinctively reaching for the quiver of arrows he kept on his shoulder. He gave a very soft curse when his fingers grasped nothing but air; his gray eyes locked onto where his fallen bow and quiver lay, as if silently willing the objects to fly across the clearing.

"You leave Raph alone!" Valon snarled once he recovered.

Ishtar laughed, the sound causing more goosebumps to rise along their arms. "Oh don't fret. It was only a joke—after all, what can I do to an already dying man?"

Whatever color that was left in both Valon's and Alister's faces drained away, and Valon's blue eyes widened in shock. "An already…no, you're lyin'," he said almost instantly. "Raph's jus' fine, you're jus' sayin' that t' get at me 'n'—well, me!"

Valon had nearly given Alister away before he'd corrected himself, but Ishtar did not seem to notice this sudden slip. If anything, his amused smirk grew in size.

"Many things I can do, little boy, but lying is not one of them," he said calmly. "Honesty—brutal, raw, heart-breaking honesty—is what I deliver. The man is dying. Every moment that passes means one weaker heartbeat, one more shallow breath…I'd imagine any time now the man will pass on—"

"_SHUT UP!"_

Ishtar grinned at the overly distraught Aurosian, his gaze sliding past him to land squarely on the other two Shadow users. "We really should get back to our discussion. Are you going to tell me what your little mouse was doing, or am I going to have to deduce it on my own? If nothing else I'm sure Marik won't offer as much resistance to my inquiry."

Rather than look angry or conflicted, Yami instead offered a sudden smirk to match the one on Ishtar's face. "But that would take the fun out of things, wouldn't it?" he asked. "You seem to thrive on chaos, do you not? You've even said several times now that you're bored…things must be frightfully dull for you, Ishtar."

The Enterran's smile dimmed, his eyebrows furrowing. "I'm listening."

Though Yugi had no idea what Yami was up to, nor did almost anyone else in the clearing, Bakura seemed to have caught onto whatever Yami was attempting and placed his hands on his hips. "What use does Jean Claude have of you now?" Bakura asked then. "Everything is going according to plan. He's marrying the woman, he's gaining a kingdom, the one person who can stop him cannot set foot in his own castle…I'd say that things have settled. You can hardly stand how peaceful it is, can't you?"

"But look at what's happening here," Yami continued. "You know Prince Jousef's curse has broken. You know we are planning to help him reclaim his throne. I'd say that you are at the advantage here in both situations…so why not play to this gained advantage?"

Ishtar seemed to mull this over, his face clouding as his frown deepened, and then he suddenly clapped his hands. "You know something? I think I will. Terrorizing the populace only goes so far and I've been _dying_ for some real action.

"So here's what I shall do, Majesties. I will not utter one word of the princeling's return, nor shall I spy on you through Marik or attempt to see what you are planning. I won't even alter the spells on the castle, nor will I strengthen them. As you've said, I've grown bored and Jean Claude too complacent. It would be nice to shake things up a bit."

Jou snorted. "Yeah, and what's the catch?" he asked angrily.

Ishtar laughed. "Why so suspicious of a gift?" he inquired. "Do you not trust me, Jousef?"

"Don't you call me that, you psychopath!" snarled Jou, nearly stepping out of the Shadow barrier before Alister grabbed him. "You don't _get_ to call me that!"

"Oh, so I am to understand only the women you love can address you as such? It seems to me that one does not care for you anymore, and the other is at Death's door. It seems foolish to allow them that privilege," Ishtar sneered, and Jou recoiled as if he had touched melted iron. "You would be correct, however—there _is_ one thing I want in this little agreement."

Ishtar shot a particularly frightening glance at Yugi and Ryou, "I _will_ be watching for the Shadow Items, and I _will _know if they enter the castle. If even one of the Items I can sense in this clearing is not at the castle when you arrive…well, suffice it to say, your plan will be stopped before it has begun."

"You'd expect us to do otherwise?" asked Bakura lazily. "Of course the Items are coming. I'm not keen on parting with my Ring, and Yami cannot separate from the Puzzle. Now that we've settled on a course of action, you can release Marik and be on your way."

Ishtar laughed once again, shaking his head ruefully. "Oh, I think not," he said with a deceivingly airy voice. "You see, my vessel has been very ill-behaved this day. He might attempt to possess me once again once I depart, and I for one value my freedom. No, no, I think I shall take him with me—as assurance that you'll come."

So saying, Marik's body started to cross the clearing on jerky, half-tottered steps; the beginnings of a small black hole grew in front of him, the entrance of a Shadow path blossoming into view. "With that parting statement, I shall take my leave."

"No! Wait!" Yugi cried, springing to his feet. Yami pushed him back once again, but it seemed that the spirit was just as alarmed by what Ishtar was doing.

But even as Ryou and Valon started to protest, even as Bakura's eyes flashed and his hand went for the Millennium Ring, someone stepped into view to bar Ishtar's path. The Enterran stumbled backward as if he had received an electric shock, the Shadow path suddenly vanishing. His lavender eyes widened before darkening in unaltered hatred, hi next words coming out as a venomous hiss.

"_You_."

The newcomer did not flinch at the voice, nor did he back down. Instead, he stepped forward and into what little light remained in the clearing.

"Release my brother, Ishtar," Rishid ordered coldly.

Yugi felt oddly relieved at the sight of the older Enterran. Rishid must have woken up at the sound of Marik's screams from earlier and had come to investigate. He once again glanced to his staff, gauging the distance between himself and it.

Ishtar stared at the taller man for only seconds before he laughed. The sound, though derisive, held a note of fear. "Oh that's amusing. The _servant_ is ordering his _master_ around," he replied, folding his arms. "You seem to have forgotten your place. And hello, sister mine," he added when Ishizu also stepped into the open, her Tauk gleaming. "It's been _so long_ since we last met."

But Yugi saw it, a spasmodic twitch of Marik's hands, and he noticed the tension growing in Ishtar's shoulders. He glanced at Yami, wondering if he had seen what he had, and the Enterran spirit dipped his head to confirm Yugi's suspicions:

_Ishtar's afraid of Rishid. _

_Marik is starting to fight back._

Rishid had flinched at Ishtar's comment, but he still did not back down. "I will say it again. Release Master Marik. Now."

"What can you do to me, slave? You swore to protect me, didn't you?" taunted Ishtar.

"I did. If I must protect Master Marik from himself, however, that also falls into my duty." Rishid took another step forward. "I will say this only once more: release. My. Brother."

"You have no right to call him brother!" roared Ishtar furiously, but his voice was changing and his eyes were dancing. His hands suddenly rose, clamping tightly over a point on his temples as he struggled to stand.

"You…you wretched servant…I should have made certain to kill you…years ago…" Ishtar panted, half fearful and half furious.

One of his hands lifted in the same gesture that had sent the log flying earlier, directing it at Rishid to knock him away. There was no time for anyone to react, and Rishid was not braced for the action at all—

"_Oh no you don't!"_

Someone barreled into the Enterran and knocked him to the ground, tumbling with him into the grass. Ryou caught a glimpse of a blue shirt and blond hair, instantly realizing who had just tackled him.

"Jou, no!" he cried, horrified.

Yugi instantly shot to his feet and lunged for his staff. Jou had caught Ishtar off guard with that attack, but he would recover soon enough and he could easily kill Jou—they were too close to each other, and one blast of Shadow magic from Ishtar would be enough to kill the other man.

His hand gripped the staff and he swiveled on his heels just as Ishtar shoved Jou off of him, knocking the blond against a tree with a blast of magic; it had seemed to graze Jou's shoulder and he hit the tree hard, but he appeared to only be dazed. As one of Ishtar's hands raised Yugi reacted.

"_COERCO!" _the wizard roared, swinging the staff at Ishtar as he would a sword.

Black ropes sprang from the staff and wound themselves around the Enterran, and Yugi yanked down hard to pinion the man's arms to his sides. "Don't you touch him!" he said furiously, eyes narrowed.

Ishtar's head turned to seek Yugi, eyes alight with malice. "I will make you pay for your interference…both of you…"

But now his body was stiffening, the cold eyes widening into an almost impossible size as the light in the clearing began returning. Ishtar could not keep control of Marik, they all realized—for whatever reason, the evil presence was being forced out.

Without any sort of warning the Enterran slumped in place, his head falling forward. He turned his head to face Yugi and the others, allowing them to see that there was no trace of Ishtar present in the pale purple eyes.

Ishtar was gone. Marik had returned.

Yugi released the spell that was binding Marik and the other young man stumbled as the rope dissipated, going into an almost off-kilter stance to maintain his balance. For a moment it seemed like Marik was about to speak, but his eyes rolled up into his head and his entire body slumped forward.

Ishizu gave a startled cry of alarm as Rishid practically lunged, the man catching the younger Enterran's limp body in his arms before it would have hit the grass. Ishizu hurried forward, hitting her knees on the grass beside her brothers.

Yami relaxed then, and both he and Bakura waved a hand to dispel the barrier behind them. "Ishtar has gone," he announced, sounding immeasurably relieved.

"'ow do you know?" asked Valon warily.

"The pressure caused by Ishtar's presence in the clearing has abated, and while it is something you cannot see for yourself I can tell he has left," replied Yami, watching as Alister fought his way through the bushes. With that parting statement he disappeared in a burst of Shadows, returning to the Puzzle to rest.

The moment Yami had gone Yugi rushed to where Jou was slowly standing up, nearly skidding into the taller man before he was able to correct himself. "Jou, that was incredibly dangerous! Are you okay?"

Jou shot him a weary grin and flashed a thumbs up. "I had to do something," he said, rubbing his head with a wince. "That creep was going to knock Rishid into tomorrow. It was dumb, I know, but I couldn't sit by and do nothing."

"You got lucky he missed," said Yugi, immeasurably relieved to see that Jou had not come to any harm.

Ryou had taken the chance to move past Bakura and he was already bee-lining for the fallen Marik. "Is he okay?" he asked, also going to his knees when he reached them. Bakura strolled up to them almost lazily, but his gaze was locked on where Marik was lying.

"I cannot say," Rishid replied, his stern demeanor melting away at the sight of his brother. Ishizu looked just as worried as Rishid as she gazed at Marik, reaching out to touch his face; she brushed some of the sweat-dampened bangs off his face, smoothing them over his brow.

Marik's face was far too pale and the expression on his face was not peaceful. They did not have to be touching the Enterran to know that he was trembling; one of his hands was gripping Rishid's sleeve tightly, his knuckles paling.

Alister, Jou, and Yugi made it over at last, the first two bearing stormy expressions on their faces; the anger faded when they saw Marik curled limply on the grass, and though worry shone through they still looked suspicious of the fallen young man. "You sure Ishtar's gone?" asked Alister as he came up to them.

Yugi looked as if he was about to reply when Marik suddenly came to life with a gasp, sitting bolt upright and scaring every single one of them.

"I'm going to be sick," he choked out at last, a hand shooting to his mouth as he stumbled out of Rishid's grip.

Marik managed to make it to the bushes beyond the tree before they heard the first sounds of him starting to violently retch. Ishizu rose to her feet and moved alongside her younger brother, hesitating before beginning to rub his back in small, soothing circles; Rishid also followed after her and hovered nearby, watching Marik worriedly.

"Marik?" Yugi ventured at last, stepping forward cautiously when the other young man slumped against the trunk. He wrung his staff in his hands, wincing when a jolt of magic shot through his palms—a not-so-friendly reminder that his staff was not his shirt hem.

Marik was not looking at any one of them, the back of his hand lifted to his mouth and his eyes closed tightly; from behind his clenched fist they could hear his breath coming in harsh, ragged pants.

"Is there something we can do for him?" asked Jou abruptly. He was aware that moments before Ishtar had been in complete control of the boy, and in fact Jou still very much _despised_ Ishtar—but he had been in Marik's shoes before and he knew how much it hurt being controlled.

Marik suddenly coughed, interrupting any reply, and he spoke. "I…I saw it…while he had me, I…_I saw it_."

Marik's voice shook, as if each word cost him dearly. "Saw wha', exactly?" asked Valon sharply. "Does it 'ave anythin' t' do with Raph or the others?"

The Enterran shook his head tiredly, his mouth set in a thin, determined line. "No, nothing like that. But I know why Ishtar is working for Jean Claude."

* * *

><p>They had moved into the center of the clearing once again; Ryou had given Marik a dosage of the strengthening potion to help with Marik's exhausted state, but it did not seem to do much for the poor Enterran teenager. The white-haired young man would have preferred to give Marik healing potion to help with the pounding headache, but he was out of that particular draught and at the moment was preparing a new batch. Yugi had not wasted any time in casting a fire spell, and the warm flames seemed to crackle merrily in stark contrast to the current atmosphere; the benefit of using magical fire was that it took almost no time at all to heat up, Yugi had explained to them.<p>

Yami had retreated into the Puzzle to try and recover more of his strength, but his presence was still very much felt when he spoke. _Explain to us what you saw, Marik. We did not see what you did._

The Enterran nodded, looking as if he was ready to collapse. "I think you triggered it, Yami," Marik explained, slumping wearily against Rishid. The older man did not move in the slightest. "When you mentioned something about a leash…he seemed to remember something, and I caught a glimpse of his memories. It wasn't anything that he said. I only saw images. Fleeting ones, mind, but it was enough.

"Ishtar is...well, he's not dying, not exactly, but he's slowly dissipating. I saw a green-haired man in his memories offering him Orichalcum—Dartz, probably—and it seemed like he stopped vanishing after that, but it was temporary. He's trying to stop himself from fading away—I know, that doesn't make sense," he finished, sounding both frustrated and tired.

But Yugi exchanged knowing glances with Ryou, and Bakura snorted. "I'd wondered," said the thief, sounding smug. "He can't stabilize himself."

_No wonder he is taking orders from Dartz and Jean Claude. It would appear he has no other option, if he wishes to continue existing._

"Mind explaining that in laymen's terms for the not-so-savvy-with-magic people in the group?" Jou asked impatiently, gesturing to himself. "What does any of this mean? What do you mean by 'anchor'?"

It was Ryou who spoke, pausing long enough in potion-brewing to look up at them all. "It's how Bakura can form on his own, how Yami can exist inside of Yugi and how both of them can wield Shadows. They rely on anchors that fuel their physical manifestations and their own brand of magic—Yugi and I, in other words.

"Ishtar apparently didn't create an anchor to Marik when he first materialized. He's got a mental link to Marik, but nothing more. And even though he's formed from Shadows and even though he's holding a Millennium Item, it's not enough to stabilize him. Without an actual anchor, an actual physical body to attach to, Ishtar faces the threat of vanishing out of existence."

"That's probably explains why he's using orichalcum," Yugi added. "Orichalcum focuses all the negative energy in a person. Ishtar must be using the orichalcum to temporarily keep the Shadows focused on him—the stone is pulling the Shadow magic that is forming him together.

"That's also explains how he can wield regular magic as well as Shadow magic, as the stone has inherent magic properties and he has no actual anchor. He attempted to leave the clearing with Marik's body because of that. Ishtar might be trying to find a way to anchor himself to Marik, and with Dartz's magical knowledge it's a very real possibility that he could succeed if he gets hold of Marik."

Alister's eyes narrowed. "Ishtar had to have known this would happen when he separated from Marik before. Why didn't he anchor himself to him then? I hate to say this, Marik, but you're not as strong as he is—he was able to possess you easily. It wouldn't cost him much effort for him to take you again."

"Thanks for that vote of confidence," replied Marik dryly, a shadow of his former self shining through the exhaustion. "But you strike a point. I was almost certain he was going to…"

He trailed off, his expression darkening and he grimaced. One of his hands rose to massage his temples as he winced and Ishizu placed a hand on his shoulder, her expression softening. The younger offered her a small and weary smile.

A pause followed Marik's statement, and then Yami suddenly chuckled. _I do believe that Ishtar was not given a choice in the matter all those years ago, when he first appeared. Something—or, rather, someone—interfered with Ishtar forming those ties._

"What do you mean?" asked Marik then, slowly sitting up. "What interference?"

_The answer to your question, Marik, is currently acting as your pillow._

Both Marik and Rishid started in surprise, exchanging startled glances with each other before looking back at the Millennium Puzzle. "Rishid…but how?"

_Tell me something, Rishid. Those scars on your face…unless I am mistaken, aren't those the rites and duties of a guardian?_

Rishid glanced once again to Ishizu and Marik before replying. "Yes," he answered quietly. "I myself placed them there."

Yami chuckled again. _The hieroglyphs are more than that, dear Rishid. They are, in fact, a part of a very powerful spell: they are the ancient Enterran equivalent of a ward against evil. It would not require a gift of magic-wielding to call it into effect._

Ishizu and Marik started, shooting their older brother a surprised look. "Then that would explain why Ishtar has never been able to tolerate Rishid's presence," Ishizu said at last, her eyes narrowing. "Ishtar attacked us on our way back to this clearing by using a Shadow creature, but when the beast saw Rishid it became afraid. And years before, Ishtar tried to take over Marik completely but failed when Rishid appealed to Marik."

_I am not surprised. Emotions are often what fuels magic—the stronger your emotions, the more power behind the spells cast. That is why young wizards and witches must be trained extensively to control their emotions._

_Based on what Marik has told us about your features, it was your strong conviction and your loyalty to family that activated the spell, Rishid. It is also these emotions that continue to give the ward power to this day. The reason Ishtar cannot stand your presence is _because_ of that ward. That is why Ishtar fled all those years ago, and why today Marik was able to expel Ishtar once he saw you._

There was a sigh before Yami continued speaking. _Of course, it is only a partial excerpt from the actual spell, and it is not a fail-proof enchantment. Should you fall, Rishid, Ishtar will be able to do anything he pleases. Effectively, you are what stands between Marik and Ishtar._

Jou grinned and moved over to where Rishid was sitting. "Well okay then. Whatever our plan is, we're definitely bringing Rishid with us," he announced, clapping Rishid's shoulder encouragingly. The Enterran shot him a startled glance, though a small smile lit his features.

"So we still have something of an advantage, in that Ishtar doesn't exactly know what we're doing. He just knows we're coming tomorrow, nothing more…Marik, can you confirm that?" Alister asked.

Marik raised an eyebrow. "Believe me, you'll be the first to know it if Ishtar's rummaging around in my head," he responded dryly. "And aside from nearly tearing me apart in my own mind, he actually didn't try looking through my memories. If anything, he was just happy inflicting unbearable agony."

Meanwhile, Valon had wandered over to where Ryou was sitting nearby the small cauldron. He had been paying attention to the conversation for a while, but his thoughts were mostly distracted, his mind still focused on the earlier encounter with Ishtar.

_What can I do to an already dying man?_

Valon shook his head. No…no, he would not believe it. Ishtar was a liar, Raphael was perfectly fine. Yeah, sure, he might be imprisoned, but Raphael couldn't be dying—he _wasn't_ dying.

His blue eyes locked onto the potions still scattered across the grass. The white-haired man had not had a chance to put away the potions he had gotten out from his bag. Good—he needed a proper distraction. The Aurosian started examining the numerous bottles of potions that were still sitting on the grass, lifting them up one by one and eyeing each of them curiously.

He made a face as he picked up one small bottle filled with what appeared to be brown sludge. "Wha' the heck is this gunk?" he asked, holding up the bottle to show Ryou. At Valon's question one of Alister looked over, his attention going to where his younger friend was standing.

Ryou's expression darkened at the sight of the bottle. "The leech draught. Don't mess with it, Valon, it's rather potent. To be honest I don't even know why I have the stuff, I think I got it while bartering for supplies—"

But Alister had gone rigid, both eyes opening wide as he rose to his feet. He took in a sharp breath, gray eyes lighting in recognition as they settled on the potion. "Ryou, what does that draught do?"

Ryou turned, somewhat surprised by Alister's sudden movement. "What, this?" he asked.

The red-haired man nodded tightly, his eyes never leaving the bottle.

"Well…hm. It's a bit hard to explain, um…"

Ryou frowned, then snapped his fingers. "So you know that if you're bitten by leeches the wound bleeds hours after the leech is pulled off, and it takes a couple days for the wound to scab over completely, right?"

When Alister and Valon nodded, Ryou continued on. "A leech draught has a similar effect. Healers use this to bleed their patients quickly, rather than make unnecessary cuts every few minutes. The patient ingests a small dose, and then after a certain amount of time the healer makes an incision and blood begins to flow. As long as the potion is active, the blood will continue to flow. It made bleeding more efficient—a twenty minute procedure is reduced to five minutes.

"Healers stopped using it recently—not to mention it's been outlawed in some countries—because by now everyone has realized bleeding a person doesn't aid recovery time at all. The real reason it's been banned is because many healers don't know how to brew the counter draught. Without it, the leech draught continues to affect the person who ingested it.

"The potion prevents blood from clotting and gets stronger the longer it is active…after a certain point the smallest of bruises, or even a pinprick, could be fatal. The bleeding also increases in volume the longer the potion is active, but only if one gains new injuries while the draught is at work."

Alister's fists clenched tightly at his sides. "How much is a proper dose?"

Ryou frowned. "I've never administered this draught because it's such a dangerous one to mess around with. Even so, I've heard that the proper dosage is five spoonfuls diluted in a half-goblet of water, at the most."

Now the red-haired man's mouth thinned entirely and he seemed far too pale. "Ryou, tell me you have the counter draught, or that you know how to brew it."

By now everyone had noticed the conversation going on between Alister and Ryou and most of them held uncertain expressions; Marik, who had been almost dozing while leaning against Rishid, opened his eyes and frowned at the tense atmosphere. Even though no one could see Yami they could feel a twin pair of eyes now watching the proceedings.

Ryou's frown deepened as he slowly replied, "I do. I usually keep counter draughts for anything in my bag, even if I'm not fond of the particular potion—it would be foolish of me not to."

Marik sat up slowly, suddenly understanding why Alister was acting so antsy. "Were you given the draught?" he asked then.

Alister shook his head before he replied. "No, but Raphael and about half a dozen others were," he replied grimly. "I remember because I was the only one they didn't give the draught too. Apparently having my arms broken into pieces was punishment enough for me."

"But they were given the counter draught, weren't they?" asked Jou uneasily. "They couldn't have been allowed to keep it in their system for long, Jean Claude needs every able-bodied man he can get."

Alister's features darkened, and he remained silent for several moments. "Most of what happened after my arms were broken is a blur," he said at last, "but there's one thing I do remember. The other men's wounds all eventually closed and scabbed over, but Raphael's were the only ones still bleeding when I…_left._"

Jou's own lips had pressed into a thin line as his jaw tightened, his brown eyes filled with anger. "How long ago was the draught administered?" he asked, his voice trembling with barely suppressed fury.

"…Two weeks, at the most."

"And the dosage?"

"Half a goblet, not watered down."

Valon had been listening to the conversation with an alarmed expression, and the news of just how much of the dangerous potion had been given to his eldest friend did little to set him at ease. "Th-Tha's okay. We'll go get 'im 'n' some 'ealin' water will patch Raph right up," he said, injecting some confidence into his voice.

But Yugi was shaking his head even before Valon finished speaking. "It doesn't work like that, Valon," he said gently. "Yes, either a healing potion or the water will close the wounds, but the draught doesn't stop working just because the wounds close. And if it's been in effect for two weeks…"

"It gets stronger the longer it works," Marik said, his eyes narrowing. "In other words, any new injury Raphael sustains at this point is fatal, right?"

Valon felt as if the bottom of his stomach had dropped out and he sat back hard in the grass. Ishtar's words from earlier returned in full force: _what can I do to an already dying man?_

"Th-then…Raph's been hurt somehow," said Valon shakily, shooting Alister a frightened look. "Tha's wha' Ishtar meant…Raph's bleedin' out. He's going t' die b'fore we get there, isn' 'e?"

"Perhaps not," Ryou said hastily, noticing how pale both Valon and Alister became. "His situation is certainly life-threatening, but if we can get to him in time and if he avoids any more injuries then he should be all right."

Ishizu had a small frown marring her face. "But how come he hasn't bled out yet from being whipped? You said that the longer the potion is in effect the more potent it becomes, and if his wounds did not close—"

"That's because he gained those wounds immediately after he took the draught. The bleeding he'd have is certainly worse than normal, but it would not be fatal. The draught is thankfully specific in that fashion," said Ryou grimly, already rummaging in his bag for ingredients. "I've got some of the counter draught on hand, but I'm going to need more of it if that dose you told me is any indication of Raphael's current state, Alister."

A long silence fell as Ryou set out the ingredients onto the grass, and then Jou cleared his throat. "How long does it take for Kuriboh to get to Kaiba?" he asked, sounding somewhat flat.

Yugi looked over at the taller man. "If I'm right, Kuriboh should be there by now. Kaiba should respond and he'll come within the hour. In the meantime we should pack our things."

"And we're guaranteed 'e'll respond to a summons from a pipsqueak furball?" asked Valon doubtfully.

Yugi offered a mysterious smile in reply. "I'd be surprised if he didn't," he replied evenly. "There's more to Kuriboh than what meets the eye."

* * *

><p>"Mizu, take smaller bites, would you?" Mokuba chided, gently tugging on the meat in the kit's mouth to reclaim it. "Razor sharp teeth or not, you'll choke if you don't start eating smaller portions."<p>

Mizu growled indignantly, but then Kisara let out a warning rumble and the kit instantly released the slab of venison. Mokuba took the chance to get out a carving knife and instantly started slicing the meat into bite size portions; while Mizu would eventually have to learn how to eat larger portions of the meat her mother brought back, she was not yet big enough to eat the meals the other kits could have.

His older brother was currently going through the cave in search of dropped scales. Though he intended to use them primarily to line the nests of the dragons, there was also a need for weapons; after gaining permission from the older dragons Kaiba had begun his search (though really, the dragons would never tell their master "no").

A sudden shrill squeal from the entrance to the cave gained Mokuba's attention and he looked up; that was certainly not a sound any of the kits could make. He felt a startled frown crease his brow when he saw the bouncing furball in the entrance of the den. Before Mokuba could react the bundle of fur suddenly bounded into the cave, beginning to bounce all around the interior excitedly; the creature's actions earned very intent stares from every dragon in the den as their eyes followed its antics.

Mokuba knew exactly what that little thing was, as he had seen it while in the Turtle Shop once before. "Big brother, Yugi's sent a summons!" he called, his voice echoing over Kuriboh's squeals.

His brother suddenly appeared from the right of the cave, grimacing as he took note of Kuriboh. A disgusted frown graced his features as he caught Kuriboh in mid-bounce. He glanced at Mokuba, searching for an explanation.

"I've seen Yugi send Kuriboh out before. We basically follow it back to where Yugi—wait, what are you doing?"

While Mokuba had been speaking Kaiba had been eyeing the creature in his grip disdainfully. Before the child had finished speaking Kaiba had marched to the den entrance and without any preamble tossed the creature into the open air.

"I'm not in any mood to respond to a summons, especially if Yugi won't do the job himself," he said in response to Mokuba's horrified look.

"But you didn't have to toss Kuriboh off the mountain!" Mokuba protested, stomping his foot. "Yugi likes that little hairball, and he's a powerful wizard to boot!"

"Then I'm sure he can make another one by using what he finds in his hairbrush," Kaiba deadpanned. "Don't cry over something that's not even alive."

Kisara coughed, catching the human's attention. _Forgive me for interrupting you while you are speaking, Master, but it would appear the bouncing-fur did not fall to its demise._

Kaiba blinked, then turned as he felt a weight on the end of his cloak. When he looked down it was to find Kuriboh clinging almost desperately to the cloth, its eyes wide with terror. Kaiba's lips pursed and he took hold of the Kuriboh once again.

"Oh come on, don't throw Kuriboh off the mountain again," Mokuba said exasperatedly. "Give it a shot, would you? Yugi might need you for something important, you never know."

His older brother paused, eyebrows furrowing in thought before clearing seconds later. "You know something? I think I will give it a fighting chance."

Then, much to Mokuba's indignant disbelief, Kaiba tossed the Kuriboh to where the kits were watching the creature's struggles almost eagerly. "Lunch."

The kits were upon Kuriboh before it had proper time to react and Kaiba turned to face the child. "Yugi will have to learn that I am not someone who comes every time he calls. That's what dogs are for," he said irritably, already starting to resume his search for scales.

Mokuba had been about to voice an argument (primarily because he believed in Yugi's magic and he knew what an angry wizard could do—he didn't relish the idea of another month with a goat for an older brother) when he heard a loud _pop_ come from where the kits were and his head snapped to them sharply, and when his eyes landed on the kits he gaped.

"Uh oh."

Kaiba, who had heard the explosion and his brother's response, looked over.

Kuriboh had not died when the kits had started biting into it. On the contrary, it was still very much alive, for the moment their fangs and claws had touched it the creature had exploded in a cloud of purple smoke. Now, instead of one Kuriboh, there were two.

As the brothers watched, Mizu happily launched herself on top of the newer Kuriboh and bit down. She let out a startled squeak as the purple cloud appeared once again. This time, there were now four Kuribohs—a grand total of six furballs in the midst of the kits, and the number was growing each time the kits attacked.

Both Kaiba and Mokuba exchanged looks of dawning horror as they realized exactly what was going on and Kaiba gave a sharp whistle. "Enough!" he ordered sharply, and the kits instantly ceased in attacking the Kuribohs.

Unfortunately, now there were roughly thirty of the bouncing little hairballs running around the den and Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "He's certainly persistent, isn't he?" he muttered, watching dispassionately as one Kuriboh launched itself happily at his face. He sidestepped its leap and the Kuriboh hit the wall face first, landing in a dazed heap on the cave floor.

"I bet Yugi knew you'd try something like this," Mokuba pointed out wryly. "That's probably the only reason these things keep multiplying."

Kisara growled when one of the Kuribohs inadvertently knocked over Mizu, and both dragons scooped their kits up with their tails and deposited them safely behind them; after locating both of the humans, Kisara and Bennu eyed the horde of squealing fur.

_I have had enough of these loud intruders,_ _Sister, _Bennu snarled, and lightning lit the maws of both adult dragons. _Let us put an end to these creatures._

Mokuba gasped as he realized what was about to happen. "Wait, don't—!"

Twin bolts of white lightning exploded from the dragon's mouths as Kaiba hauled Mokuba behind a stalagmite, and they both barely could hear the Kuriboh's alarmed squeals as the lightning hit them. Instantly the scent of burned hair reached them and both humans grimaced.

When they peered around the stalagmite it was to find that, instead of a pile of ash where the creatures had fallen, there was an almost blinding cloud of purple smoke hanging in the air. Then, like an ocean's tide, a wave of Kuribohs left the smoke and poured into the cave.

Kaiba, now up to his armpits in squealing Kuribohs, looked to where he could see the top of Mokuba's head and hauled the boy up by the scruff of his shirt. Mokuba had been about to make some sort of smart comment when he saw the murderous look on his brother's face and instantly decided to keep his mouth shut.

Kaiba's next words were a furiously snarled vow:

_"I am going to shove every last one of these things down his throat when I get there."_

* * *

><p>"Marik?"<p>

The Enterran opened his eyes blearily, blinking several times to bring Yugi into focus. He must have dozed off at some point. "Wha'?" he asked, his voice slurring.

He winced again as his head throbbed, a not so subtle reminder of what had happened earlier. He looked once around the clearing, frowning when he noticed that Valon, Alister, and Bakura had disappeared from view. Jou was pacing the clearing restlessly and Ryou was still keeping a watchful eye on the cauldron.

"Do you want to transfer yourself up to the treehouse? It'd be more comfortable to sleep there," he offered. Noticing Marik's searching gaze, he added, "Alister and Valon are searching for ingredients Ryou needs, and Bakura is in the Ring resting. You should try to sleep while you can."

Marik shook his head. "'m fine," he replied drowsily, his eyes shutting as he leaned against Rishid once again. Ryou's strengthening draught could not entirely help him, for his exhaustion stemmed from mental exertion.

Rishid shifted, prompting Marik to open his eyes again. Noticing the subtle way Rishid was flexing his potentially asleep hand, the Enterran sat up and rubbed his eyes. "On second thought, I might do that," he muttered. "At least, I would if I wasn't certain I'd fall and break my neck."

"I will assist you if need be, Master Marik," Rishid said promptly.

Marik glowered at his older brother, though there was no true fire in his gaze. "Don't call me 'master'," he replied. "I've told you a million times before this, don't call me that."

Nonetheless, Ishizu and Rishid both helped Marik to his feet and stayed with him as he slowly made his way to the ladder nearby. He stopped, however, when someone gently tapped his arm. He turned to look at Yugi, who was shuffling his feet awkwardly

"Um…Yami's told me the Shadow path he made dissipated and he's stronger than he was earlier. That means Sivya made it safely to wherever she was going," Yugi offered at last.

Marik flinched, remembering the fear that had been present in Sivya's honey-colored eyes. "Oh."

Yugi bit his lip, then continued. "Yami said there's a message from Sivya. He's truncated it for your benefit, but he says that there's a part of it he wants you to hear."

He flinched again but said nothing, waiting for Yugi to continue. When the shorter man realized why Marik was silent, he rested a hand on the Puzzle and a soft gleam came from it. After a brief pause, Sivya's gentle voice emanated through the Puzzle.

"…_and I've made it safely, Yami, but…Marik…he'll be all right, won't he? Please…Yami, protect him if you can. He saved me today and he put himself in danger to do it…I owe Marik my life. I don't want to see him hurt, and if I could I'd come back there instead of going away. When you see Marik, could you please tell him from me that he's still very welcome to come visit when the flocks return?"_

Marik sucked in a shaky breath, relief blossoming somewhere inside of him as the Puzzle's glow faded. Although she sounded shaky, although there was a trembling note to her words, every word had been genuine. She still cared for him, even after seeing what Ishtar was and even though she had nearly been killed.

He would certainly taker her up on her offer to visit when she returned.

Slightly more encouraged than he was before, he turned to the ladder. "Now how am I going to get up there?" he asked with a frown, eyeing the landing above him.

"Rishid can carry you up if you put your arms around his neck," Ishizu suggested.

"Wouldn't that choke him?"

"I will be fine, Master."

_"Rishid for pity's sake, don't call me that."_

"It will be all right," Ishizu said soothingly as Marik scowled. "Rishid is strong and he can carry you easily."

Marik's scowl softened. "I don't doubt that," he said softly.

Once the course of action had been decided by the siblings, Rishid helped Marik up into the trees; Ishizu had decided to stay on the ground, and though she did not entirely explain why her brothers noticed her hand on the Tauk. Something was going to happen, but judging by their sister's calm demeanor it was not anything threatening.

Marik, upon reaching the landing, instantly headed for the nearest cot and flopped onto it, never happier for the thin mattress. He'd hated sleeping on them in the past, but right now he was so tired and he just wanted to sleep—at this point he'd willingly sleep on top of a White Dragon.

He was nearly asleep when a spike of pain shot through his temples once again. He sat upright almost immediately, fearful of another take-over attempt from Ishtar. Rishid, who had been carrying a blanket he'd seen to cover Marik with, noticed the movement.

"Master?"

For once Marik did not correct Rishid, waiting tensely for any further spikes; when nothing happened he shut his eyes, instantly relieved. It was just a residual headache from earlier, nothing more.

The relief faded as he opened his eyes and looked down at his hands. Though Ishtar had failed to possess him that day because of Rishid, he knew that Rishid would not be able to shield him forever. There was another confrontation coming, and eventually, he was going to have to find a way to end Ishtar.

But how?

A hand rested on his shoulder, startling Marik out of his thoughts. "Master Marik, are you all right?"

Marik nodded. "Just a bad headache. And for the final time, don't call me that," he replied.

He paused, looking away for a moment. He had a request to make, though it sounded ridiculously childish. Maybe he shouldn't…oh who was he kidding, he was going to anyways. Rishid never ridiculed anything Marik said.

"Could you sit somewhere nearby?" he managed at last. His voice sounded uncertain and he did not make eye contact with his older brother. "I…I don't want to be alone."

He wondered if Rishid would protest, but to his immense relief the older man instead found a small crate and moved it by the cot Marik was on. Rishid then draped the blanket over top of the younger Enterran. "I will stay as long as you need me," came the quiet but sincere reply. "Now please rest. I will watch over you."

Reassured by Rishid's soothing words, Marik offered him a small but warm smile. He then turned over and sleep claimed him within minutes.

* * *

><p>Ten more minutes passed in relative peace. Jou, who had decided pacing could only occupy his attention for so long, had instead decided that it was time to practice wielding a sword once again; it had been months since he had last gripped a sword hilt.<p>

Yugi for his part was more than willing to help Jou. After giving Jou a wooden sword he had conjured, the shorter wizard bewitched fallen timber around them into a magical dummy of sorts, and had even given it a wooden sword; he then had bewitched it so that every time Jou disarmed the dummy the level of difficulty would increase.

Alister and Valon returned during this time, and with them came Grarl—Alister had refused to return until he had located the horse. After delivering the necessary potion ingredients Ryou had needed, the two young men had fallen to grooming Grarl; the poor animal was in a sorry state and it distracted both of them from their worry over their eldest friend.

Yami and Bakura had not spoken at all in this time, and Yugi largely suspected the spirits were actually sleeping, trying to recover lost energy; a report from Rishid in the tree had told Yugi Marik was also fast asleep.

Ishizu, however, had sat herself by the fire and was watching the sky intently. She had put herself there the moment her brothers had ascended the ladder and her gaze had not wavered. It was obvious she was waiting for something to happen.

It was after Jou had managed to finally disarm the dummy for the seventh time and after Grarl had been stabled with the remaining horses when she rose to her feet, smoothing out her dress. "He's coming," Ishizu announced, drawing their attention.

Jou paused, wiping his sweaty face with his arm as he looked to Ishizu. "Who is?" he asked, somewhat panting.

But even as she spoke the roar of a White Dragon shattered the tranquil atmosphere of the clearing, and Jou winced. "Oh. Kisara sounds mad," he muttered, grimacing.

Another sound was filtering through the forest now, the sound of shrill squealing, and at first they all thought that the bats had left the caves early; the sun was just starting to lower in the sky. Then they remembered that the caves were much further away, and the bats had never flown this far into the forest before.

Valon squinted through the trees, staring at the movement he could see. "Wha' is tha'?" he asked at last, pointing.

Alister nocked an arrow, eyes narrowing as he took aim. Before he would have loosed the arrow, however, he paused and lowered the bow. A rare look of disbelief settled on his features. "Are those…?" he began.

Seconds later, a wave of brown fur poured into the clearing. The group was nearly knocked off their feet; poor Ryou, who could not leave the cauldron he was tending to, yelped as the creatures almost moved over him. Shrill cries filled the air and several of the creatures launched themselves at Yugi with delighted squeals.

"Hi Kuriboh," Yugi said once he'd recovered, smiling affectionately at the furball in his arms. "Glad to see you're safe."

Jou and Valon both gawked. "But you only sent one!"

Yugi offered a sheepish smile. "Well, I know Kaiba. He's not fond of 'cutesy furballs' coming to get him—he's not fond of summons to begin with—so he would have destroyed Kuriboh the moment it found him. I had to get him to come somehow, so I simply placed a multiplying charm on the Kuriboh and—"

A furious roar sounded over them once again, this one deafeningly loud, and then Kisara dropped through the top of the clearing to land in the middle of the clearing; the horde of Kuriboh gave alarmed chitters and immediately tumbled over themselves in an effort to give the dragon a wide berth.

No sooner had Kisara landed when Kaiba instantly dismounted, stalking forward with blazing eyes. Kaiba halted in front of Yugi, who surprisingly held his ground and did not quail under the glare the taller man was giving him. "Hello, Kaiba."

"Yugi, I am _this close_ to having Kisara destroy you and then having her raze your stupid little shop to the ground," Kaiba snarled as he towered over the shorter wizard. "What do you want?"


	35. The Night Before

_First update of 2014, oh yes!...or is it the second? I lost track, honestly. __I'm sorry this took so long, guys. Flu bugs, colds, coworkers coming and going (and therefore double shifts), school applications...well, you could say I've been rather swamped. I'm hoping it won't take so long to update next time, hahacry. _

_Again, a giant THANK YOU to everyone who's following/reviewing this story. I appreciate you guys taking time out of your day to read this story and I only hope I continue to garner your attention and feedback._

* * *

><p>Yugi had the grace to look apologetic as he waved a hand, the Kuriboh vanishing from view in seconds. "I'm really sorry for—"<p>

"I was bombarded with mutant furballs. _Explain._"

"He couldn't think of any other way to get you to come here. You usually ignore us peons," came Bakura's sarcastic reply.

"What makes him think that he can call on me to begin with?" Kaiba asked then, his voice low and dangerous. By now he was practically towering over Yugi, his posture practically crackling with rage; it was not much of a stretch to compare the taller man to the dragon snarling behind him. The fact Yugi had not yet flinched under the glower and was not backing away spoke volumes—although there was no denying that the grip on his staff had tightened.

_This is not the worst he could've done. I recall a time when the Kuribohs _exploded _on contact rather than multiplying. Be grateful, Kaiba, that we chose a less violent method of summoning you._

Kaiba's eyes narrowed, his hand clenching tightly around his sword hilt. "That makes it no less demeaning," he ground out between gritted teeth. His eyes now roamed the clearing, landing on each individual that stood around. No one could tell if he was surprised by Alister's and Jou's presence. "I am the Lord of the White Dragons, Yugi. Using your little scrawny hairballs to fetch me is pathetic.

"You seem to be laboring under a delusion that I am your friend, that I am someone you may call upon at any point. You've deceived yourself into thinking that I will stop what I am doing for your sake and that I will find your antics amusing, if not overlook them," he continued, his voice a low snarl. "The only reason I am even here now is not to see what you need, but to deliver my first and last warning. I do not bow to you. I am not your friend, nor even an ally. The next time you _dare_ summon me in such a manner will be the last time you draw breath on this earth."

The Puzzle flashed far too bright and a sudden chill descended in the clearing as Yami suddenly appeared. The shadows stretched from his body and began steadily creeping toward Kaiba and the others. "You will watch your tone, Kaiba. A lord you may be, but I am a king," he said coldly, his eyes glowing red. "If you intend to bring harm to Yugi, you had best be ready for retaliation."

As the shadows rose and climbed the trees Rishid rose to his feet, watching the darkness creep over the edge of the platform. His uneasiness only increased when Marik—who had been sound asleep and had not even twitched when the White Dragon had arrived—suddenly let out a soft moan and began curling into a ball on the bed. Concerned for the boy's well-being, Rishid sat on the edge of the mattress and laid a large hand on Marik's shoulder, sending a silent message that he was still nearby. While Marik stopped curling, the pained expression on his face did not fade away.

Jou gave a small growl when he saw what was happening above him. While he could not see Rishid any longer he did not miss the way the shadows were being drawn towards the platform above, where Marik was currently resting. Nothing would end well if Yami ended up calling Ishtar by mistake.

"All right ladies!" he called sharply, clapping his hands to catch their attention. He noticed that the shadows halted and seemed to disappear after a moment's pause; warmth returned to the clearing and Yami slightly relaxed as he realized what had nearly happened. "We have things to talk about, and we won't get them done if everybody goes around posturing like a bunch of roosters!"

If Kaiba's mood had been poor to begin with, Jou's words made it worse. "Know your place," he spat, a sneer in his words as he glared at Jou. "Children should be silent when their elders are speaking."

"So now you're a geezer?"

"Jou," said Ryou under his breath when Kaiba's eyes flashed. "I hate to be rude, but you're not helping."

Jou ignored him. They were running out of precious time and he was not in any mood to cater to Kaiba, as his patience was just about shot. "Now look, tough guy. We had to reach you somehow and whether Kuriboh's involved or not we still need to talk to you. Quit your pathetic bratty whining and _shut up_. You'll hear us better when your big mouth is shut," he added pleasantly.

"_Jou."_ Ryou's voice was an almost frantic hiss.

Kaiba's eyes slitted. "The only reason you're not dead now, _mutt_, is because I don't want my sword stained with your filth," he growled. "At least when you were a dragon you were more interesting, but now you're just a stray dog and I have no time to deal with worthless _mongrels_."

Jou's vision flashed red.

Too many people called him that. Dartz, Jean Claude, the street thugs he'd picked fights with as he'd been growing up…his own _father_ had never even used Jou's name, just that damned title of _worthless mongrel brat _and—and—!

He stormed up to Kaiba before anyone could stop him, ignoring the warning calls as he put himself in Kaiba's space. From behind Kaiba Kisara reared, a deadly snarl ripping from her throat as lightning shone in her jaws; though Kaiba looked thoroughly unimpressed by Jou glaring up at him there was no denying the increased tension in the man's shoulders.

Jou gestured to himself angrily. "Worthless mongrel, am I?" he spat. "You don't have time to waste with me, is that it? Well I've got news for ya, you arrogant jerk, _you're going to have to deal with me._ This worthless mongrel saved your oh-so-precious kit! You owe it to me to at least listen, so for the final time _shut up and listen!"_

Kaiba's gaze sharpened, as did Kisara's, and for a moment the two of them eyed Jou contemplative disdain. Then Kaiba suddenly grabbed Jou's wrist and tossed the shorter man to the grass, earning a startled and pained cry from the blond. "Don't ever get in my face again," Kaiba ordered icily as he glared at the fallen body. "Next time, I'll take your hand off."

He then turned his attention to Yugi, and though he said nothing the expression on his face prompted Yugi into speaking. "We need your help in finding a missing group of people. Several months ago a number of people were banished from the castle in Hermos, including the majority of the guards," Yugi began. "I can cast a locating spell, but we need you to help us get them to Hermos by tomorrow. The White Dragons are the fastest and time is crucial."

"Am I to assume this has something to do with the mongrel prince?" asked Kaiba, sounding almost bored.

"You know 'e's a prince?" asked Valon with surprise.

Kaiba grunted. "Why else would you be so concerned about banished castle servants? I know all of you, but the mongrel is new and there'd be no other reason for your concern with the kingdom that exiled all of you magic casters."

He shot a pointed glance to the center of the group. "Besides, it explains why Alister, who was at the castle for almost a year, is contemplating on burying an arrow in my back for throwing the mutt."

"Not your back. That's no fun," Alister retorted. When the group turned it was to find that Alister was holding his bow and an arrow at the ready; if Alister wished, he could easily bring the bow up to shoot. "I'd aim for your face, that's not too hard to hit. Either that, or I'd see about targeting your massive ego."

Ryou groaned and buried his face into his hands. "Why are we actively trying to anger Kaiba?" he muttered into his hands. "_Why?"_

"Alister, lower the bow. That won't help Jou or Raphael," Yugi said quietly, and the other man reluctantly complied after giving Kaiba one last glare.

"Raphael? You mean that thug?" Kaiba asked then, his eyes narrowing. Valon bristled but at a look from Yugi remained silent. "What have you all gotten yourselves involved with?"

"Nothing that will bring harm to you, if all goes well. All we need you to do is go get the group I mentioned earlier and then bring them to Hermos. If you're feeling generous, you could even provide some back-up," said Yugi. "It's not too much I'm asking for, Kaiba."

"Too much for my tastes," said Kaiba flatly, turning on his heel. "I'm not interested in putting that stray back on the throne. I've humored you long enough. I'm going back home. I have no reason to be here, because this isn't my problem."

Jou's eyes widened in alarm, his mouth opening to protest—

"Oh, but it is."

Ishizu's smooth voice cut across the clearing as she spoke, the woman rising to her feet in one fluid motion. Almost everyone had forgotten her presence, but now several eyes watched as she gently pushed her way forward; the group could feel Rishid's gaze on them as he too watched his sister's progress.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed as he studied her. "And you are?"

"Would you truly care to know?" she asked calmly. "It seems you do not hold much interest in matters that do not concern you."

Now one of the man's eyebrows arched. "At least _you_ understand it. I'm glad of that much."

"I did not say I approved of your arrogance, Seto."

From behind them Kisara suddenly snarled and Kaiba's jaw slackened for just a moment, and though he was able to school his features once again there was no denying the suspicion shining bright in his eyes.

Jou blinked in confusion, looking around the clearing at the others as he realized the significance of Ishizu's words. "Er…why, exactly, does Kaiba have two names?" he asked quietly.

It was Yugi who spoke. "I'm not sure. It seems to be some big secret, but Mokuba's accidentally slipped up and said that name once or twice. It might be to avoid what happened to you—wizards can cast lasting spells if they know your true name," he explained in an undertone.

Kaiba did not seem to have heard this conversation, as now his full attention was on the Enterran woman before him. "Who are you?" he asked again, and this time his voice was sharp.

"I am called Ishizu," she replied with a small smile, folding her hands in front of her and taking a small bow. "I am Marik's older sister. Perhaps you've heard of me?"

"…Perhaps." Kaiba's expression was now curiously neutral.

"I do know that your business with Yugi is not mine, but this boy needs your help and yet you deny it to him," Ishizu commented, gesturing to Jou with a graceful sweep of her arm. "Why?"

Kaiba sneered again at Jou. "If he's lost his throne, then that's his problem. He was stupid enough to lose his kingdom so he shouldn't be a ruler at all."

"You have no room to condemn Jousef for the loss of his kingdom. Are you not in the same position he is in?"

The taller man's eyes narrowed, though there was no hiding the slight hint of alarm in his eyes.

"Seto, you cannot ignore this cry for help," Ishizu continued. "You are acutely aware of how much pain a younger sibling's death would cause, as you yourself have suffered that loss…yet you would put Jousef through this agony?"

For the briefest of seconds Kaiba's face spasmed and paled; something unidentifiable swept across his face. Valon's eyes rounded and he shot a surprised look to the others, silently mouthing _did Kaiba have another brother?_

Yugi shot him a helpless shrug in response. He knew nothing of Kaiba beyond what the other man told him—and the facts Yugi knew about the taller man could be counted on one hand.

Jou started toward Kaiba, held back by only a hand from Ryou. "I don't care about some castle or a kingdom!" he said fiercely. "It's my baby sister who I care about, and as much as I hate asking for help from someone as big-headed as you I need it! She's _dying_, Kaiba, and if I don't get back now it'll be too late to help her!"

Kaiba glanced at them and instantly his face schooled itself into the detached mask they were all familiar with. "Again, his kingdom not my problem," he declared, already striding towards Kisara. "If he's so desperate, then he should fight for it himself."

Ishizu had caught the change in Kaiba's demeanor, however, and continued speaking. "But Seto, what if it was Mokuba in the position of Jousef's younger sister?"

The man stopped completely, this time not turning. "I don't know who you are, nor how you know my brother and I so intimately, but you will stop using that knowledge," he said, his words threatening. "As for your question, I would not be so careless as to leave Mokuba in such a vulnerable position."

"Oh? Then Bakura and his company were only entertaining Mokuba for the night when they brought him to their camp."

Kaiba whirled to face Ishizu and stalked to her, stopping inches away from here. Jou caught a movement from the corner of his eyes and knew Rishid was preparing to descend from the tree to protect his sister. "Do not mock me," he ordered coldly.

Ishizu did not bat an eye. "I am not mocking, only questioning. After all, I was not there. Was I mistaken in some fashion?"

Jou did not know whether he should be worried for Ishizu or laughing, and a look around him showed that even Bakura was trying to decide what to do. Ishizu was wrapping the Lord of the Dragons around her little finger with ease.

Now the woman took a step back, not out of deferment but to better see Kaiba without looking up. "Answer me honestly, Kaiba. What _would_ you do if Mokuba was in the position of Jousef's younger sister?" she asked. "How would you feel if the one person who could make a difference in the outcome, even as miniscule as the action would be, stands back and does nothing? I know there would have been a difference in the case of—"

"_Do not say his name!"_

Kaiba's voice was a thundering snarl, one that was almost drowned out by Kisara's accompanying roar. His blue eyes were wild with fury and something that no one could identify; his breathing was harsh and sharp as his irate gaze traveled through the assembled group, daring someone to ask the question that hung in the air.

A thick uneasy silence fell, the wind passing the group and gently tousling their clothes and hair. The sun by now was low enough to cast red and gold streaks through the sky above them. Jou glanced up to Rishid, who was watching his sister intently; when the Enterran man gave Jou a questioning look the other man shrugged, not certain of what was going to happen.

"Come." Kaiba's curt voice cut across the clearing, and when Jou looked it was to find Kaiba's face was an impassive mask once again.

Jou blinked, looking away from Rishid as his attention came back to earth. "What?"

"I said come. Surely even a stray knows that command?" asked Kaiba condescendingly, already striding toward a gap in the bushes. "I'm not discussing matters where everyone can butt into negotiations. If you want my help, you persuade me why I should waste my time for even considering this."

Jou's fists clenched and he had to remind himself not to punch Kaiba in the nose—though the temptation was almost overpowering. As he started forward, however, Ishizu's hand gently rested on his arm and the blond man started. "Jousef," she said softly, "do not use money to win him over, nor should you allow your anger to speak for you. Think of who Kaiba is, find what appeals to him most…only then will he side with your cause."

"…I don't know what I'm going to say, but I sure wasn't planning on begging," muttered Jou at last, giving her a small and rueful smirk as he passed her.

Kisara rumbled as Jou walked around her, angling her body so that it hid Kaiba and Jou from the view of the others in the clearing behind her. _Master, are you certain I should not blast the mongrel dragon for his earlier bluster? He was incredibly disrespectful to you._

"You're just mad that I beat you twice already," Jou retorted. "And the name's Jou, not mongrel dragon."

_You did not beat me, I merely saw no point in overwhelming a weak opponent. You understand me?_ Kisara eyed him with some curiosity. _How odd. Though you are no longer cursed you seem to have retained a very rare gift._

Kaiba cleared his throat and the dragon glanced at him. _Of course, Master is stronger than you will ever hope to be. Do not believe this gift to be a reason to order me about—only my Master can_, she stated with an air of finality. There was nothing in her tone to reassure Kaiba, and Jou realized that Kaiba was not worried about Kisara's loyalty in the slightest.

"And if I try?" Jou asked then, half-joking.

_I shall rip your extremities off slowly with my teeth, one section at a time, and then tear you to ribbons before blasting your remains into ash. Not even the gods would recognize you when I am done._

The younger man grimaced. "Gee, thanks."

"I'm not getting any younger, mongrel," Kaiba snapped, and Jou's eyes narrowed in anger at the familiar and hated title. "If you want my help, you're going to have to make it worth my while. What can you give me in exchange for my help? And don't start a debate about how unfair I'm being, this isn't my kingdom to be concerned about."

Jou bit back the angry snarl that nearly escaped him. He had to keep calm around Kaiba, and not simply because of the very large and very protective dragon looming over him; he needed Kaiba's help and his short temper could easily make his situation even worse.

Well, maybe he didn't need Kaiba's help after all, he amended. Certainly Yugi or Bakura could conjure up a path to his banished people—it would certainly be easier than begging the man in front of him for help like a pathetic child.

_But Yugi is so terribly exhausted, and generating that path could potentially kill him. As for Ryou, who knows? Bakura gets his energy from Ryou, so it could severely injure him to create a Shadow path. Don't be an idiot, Jou, and swallow your pride._

Jou hated his conscience sometimes, especially when it used Mai's voice.

"I'm waiting, mongrel."

Okay, ignore the insult and think. Ishizu had said to appeal to something Kaiba would understand, but what? Money? He snorted at that thought. Kaiba was the self-proclaimed Lord of the White Dragons, and chances were that those dragons had hoards larger than three countries put together.

So then Jou would help Kaiba's family in return? No, because those dragons guarded Mokuba almost as fiercely as they did Kaiba, and after Bakura had gotten a hold of Mokuba last time it was doubtful Kaiba would ever allow the opportunity for the child to get into that situation again. He wasn't even going to ask about the other brother Kaiba purportedly had, as that seemed to be a rather tender topic and he knew nothing of it.

Offering up a favor was dead out as well—like Kaiba would want help from "the mongrel".

"Well?"

What _could_ he offer?

Kaiba sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and looking thoroughly annoyed. "I'm done with this," he declared. "You're wasting time and that's worth more to me than diamonds. Kisara, we're going."

But as Kaiba strode past Jou to leave it suddenly occurred to him that he knew _exactly _what Kaiba wanted. Jou's words came out in a rushed exhalation, almost fearful that Kaiba would leave before he heard him.

But the taller man did hear, and he turned almost too fast to face the younger man. There was a predatory and dangerous glint that entered his eyes then. For a moment, there was nothing spoken between them, and then Kaiba took a step forward.

"I'm listening," he said, his voice a low growl.

* * *

><p>It was a strange sequence of events that followed Jou's and Kaiba's negotiations.<p>

Not even been five minutes after the two of them had disappeared behind Kisara when they stepped back around, Kaiba in the lead and Jou almost jogging behind him. The man curtly told Yugi he would assist him in any way possible; any questions regarding his sudden change in heart or about the supposed other brother Kaiba had were dutifully ignored.

The moment they had guaranteed Kaiba's help the group finalized their plans. Kaiba would carry them to where Téa's troupe was en route to Hermos, and then from there would go to retrieve the banished guards; Alister would travel with him, since the guards needed to see a familiar face and Jou was needed at Hermos. The more fine details behind how they were going to get into the castle at Hermos would be finalized as they traveled, but as the sun was going down and they were running out of time to travel those plans would have to wait.

It had only taken ten minutes at most to pack what they needed. Ryou, Jou, and Valon moved the horses to the center of the clearing and constructed an impromptu corral, and Yugi used a simple spell to make certain predators would not get at the animals while they were away. Grarl had objected, but the draft horse had been placed in the paddock with the other horses.

"Sorry fella," Valon had said sadly, patting the draft horse's shoulder. "You'll get recognized, 'n' we can' afford tha'. But don' you worry, we'll get Raph back safe 'n' sound."

Rishid had woken Marik while the others were packing, and after making certain that the young man was able to travel the two Enterrans had made it down the ladder without any incident. Marik still looked thoroughly worn out and almost seemed ready to sleep on his feet, but when asked he reassured them all he was quite capable of going and he refused to remain behind.

Once everyone had packed they clambered onto the dragon (some of them quite nervous by the rumbling growl emanating from Kisara's throat when the humans climbed on), and they took off. It did not take long to find Téa's caravan in spite of the head start she'd gained, and they reached the travelers just as the sun set. All but Alister dismounted, and as Jou had climbed down the dragon could not resist flicking the blond man off of her with her tail

_That was for disrespecting Master,_ she had announced flatly when Jou cursed at her, and there was no hiding the smirk on Kaiba's face. After that, the dragon had taken flight and vanished into the rapidly approaching night; Alister had looked very unhappy as they had taken flight, likely still traumatized by his earlier flight with Jou.

Several hours had passed since then. The covered wagons, numbering six in all, had been loaded with various trunks and other props, but there was a small amount of room that they could fit in if they split up. Yugi, Téa, and Jou were at the front of the caravan, Ryou and Valon in the middle, and Marik and his siblings were in the last wagon; Yami and Bakura were both resting inside their respective Millennium Items, as their strength would be needed for coming events.

Now, Valon looked out into the forest around him, nothing but the sound of the wagons around him as they traveled. He rested his head on his arm and stared morosely into the darkness, not for the first time wishing Alister was coming with him. He was better at charging in straight away and bashing heads in—plans that required patience and extensive planning were not his specialty.

"Valon, hand me that vial, would you?"

The Aurosian swiveled in his seat and picked up a vial that contained what appeared to be small black pebbles. "Catch."

Ryou yelped and lunged, hitting the body of the wagon as his hands caught the vial. He shot the other young man a baleful glare as he rose to his knees. "Was that necessary?" he asked. He pinched a precise amount from the vial and dropped it into the cauldron near him; it had been steadied by a balancing spell to stop the jolts of the wagon from disrupting it, and a simple warming charm on the bottom of the cauldron allowed them to heat the potion without setting their transport on fire.

Valon turned away again. "Sorry. 'm jus'…on edge, tha's all."

There was a short pause, and then the sound of movement came from behind him. A hand rested itself on his shoulder and Valon looked over at Ryou.

"They'll be fine, Valon," he said quietly. "Alister is traveling with one of the fastest dragons in this world and Raphael is not one to quit fighting. We'll all reach Hermos in time."

Valon shot him a wan smile, readjusting his position. "Wha' do you reckon Jou promised Kaiba tha' got 'im interested in 'elpin'?" Valon asked, leaning against a large trunk. He grimaced as the wagon jolted again—he'd feel that bruise in the morning.

Ryou understood the subtle request to change the subject and returned to the cauldron. He peered intently at the potion in front of him, and at first Valon believed that the other man had not heard him. At last, Ryou said, "I'm certain we'll find out when the time comes, but I for one am not questioning it."

Valon shrugged, then scooted closer to Ryou and pointed to the cauldron. "So wha's tha', anyway? Is it gonna 'elp Raph?"

The white-haired man shook his head. "No, I've already brewed those particular potions. This one is going to help us get into the castle without being spotted. Magic spells won't work around the wards, but potions are much more difficult to block out."

He eyed it contemplatively, then reached over and plucked several hairs out of Valon's head before the Aurosian could react. He ignored Valon's startled curse and dropped the hair into the potion, watching with some satisfaction as the contents turned a pale blue.

"There," he announced happily. "I've finished at last."

"Finished wha', makin' me bald?" Valon grumbled, rubbing his scalp gingerly.

Ryou smiled. "Don't exaggerate, I only took a couple. You'll see why in the morning," he said, stifling a yawn. He took a jar and scooped the magical fire into it. "We've got a long day before us, so you should go to sleep. I've got a little bit left to do, but then I'll be going to bed as well."

"I'll try to," Valon muttered, reaching for a blanket and rolling himself in it. He cursed again as another jolt caused him to hit his head on the wagon bed. "If I wake up concussed I know who t' blame."

* * *

><p>"Is it bad I can't sleep?"<p>

Yugi opened his eyes and looked over at Jou. He'd been dozing off for a while now, though the bumpy road did not help him much; Téa was already asleep nearby, her head resting on Yugi's shoulder, and Yami had been silent for quite some time. Jou, however, had shown no signs of getting drowsy.

"Given what's about to happen, I can't say I blame you," said Yugi in reply.

Jou shot him a rueful smirk. "I should. I know I should try and sleep, but…I can't. There's too much on my mind."

Yugi shot Téa a glance, then carefully sat up. "Like what?"

The other young man shrugged. "What'll happen if we're too late. Whether Kaiba will make it in time. What I'll do if Shizuka, Raphael, Mai, or any other innocent dies before I get there. What I'll do if Mai actually marries that creep."

Jou looked away. "How much of an idiot I am."

"You're not an—"

"Yeah, I am. Look, it's okay. I screwed up. I do it all the time, and really what was I expecting to happen? Hermos was in no position for me to leave it and yet I did."

"But you left for the right reasons." Yugi sat up even further. "Look, whether it was a smart decision or not isn't up for me to say. It's been said before, but I'm saying it again: you left for the right reasons. You were going to try to save your sister's life, and it's not your fault Jean Claude turned that quest into the situation at hand."

Jou offered a half smile, but it did not reach his eyes and Yugi knew something else was bothering him. At length, the blond said softly, "And what about Mai? Look at how much danger I put her in. Even if I stop her from marrying Jean Claude…even if we beat him now, what's to stop someone else from doing this again? Might as well face it, I'm not cut out for this royalty thing—"

_Yes you are._

They both jumped as Yami's voice came from the Puzzle, a stern reprimand in his voice. The spirit did not appear, but they could feel a pair of eyes blazing through the Millennium Item.

_It is not weakness to value life, especially the life of a loved one. Many rulers go their entire lifetimes without understanding that basic knowledge and they suffer all forms of heartbreak because of it. Yes, your decision was not the best one, but you have fought to make it right the moment you were cursed. Besides, you have never been allowed the chance of being in a position of authority, even while you lived in your father's castle. Some leniency can be afforded in your case._

_As for strength, you have your own brand of it. Most men succumb to _verto draconis_ within days of the spell being cast. Jousef, you lasted _months_ before the spell finally began to overwhelm you. Not only that, but you—and _you alone_—beat Dartz's spell when we were breaking the curse. Yugi and I merely stalled for time. _

_Do not underestimate your own abilities. Do not believe this to be an example of why you should _not_ rule. Turn this into a situation to learn from, so that this does not happen again. You are young, Jousef, but you are by no means "an idiot."_

In spite of himself, Jou cracked a small grin at the amount of disdain that colored Yami's last two words. "You mean that?"

_I am not in the practice of lying or delivering false praise. _

"And I agree with Yami," Yugi said firmly. "Please, Jou. Try to catch some sleep. You're going to need all the strength you can get."

Jou looked away again, a lump in his throat. "Yeah, sure. I keep telling you I can't, though. I've got too much to think about."

And then, as if on a hidden signal, a sudden and crippling wave of exhaustion hit him and he slumped, blinking rapidly in surprise as he fell onto his side. "Uh—"

Yugi did not look alarmed by Jou's fall, instead shaking his head. "Ryou's potion's worn off," he said with a small laugh. He snapped his fingers and a blanket flew through the air, wrapping itself firmly around Jou. "Go ahead and sleep. We'll wake you up when we get there."

Jou shot him a grateful look as his eyelids began drooping. It was while Yugi was readjusting the blanket over Téa when Jou said in a slurred but understandable voice, "Thanks, guys."

Whether he was thanking them for what had been said earlier or for the blanket, Yugi could not say, but it didn't stop the wizard from smiling warmly at the now asleep Jou and saying, "You're welcome."

* * *

><p>"Vivian, you shouldn't be here," said Duke with some annoyance, watching as the woman urged her horse into a trot. "Don't you have saddle sores?"<p>

"A moment's discomfort is nothing to me if Princess Mai is in danger," she replied, leaving no room for argument. "Besides, I want to see Jean Claude's hide tanned, and a comfortable bed in your castle is hardly a front row seat for that show."

It had not taken long after his memory had been restored for Duke to muster his forces, and sometime in the late afternoon the group had set off; Duke had left David and roughly half his men behind to defend his home. Vivian had insisted on accompanying them, as she knew a way to get to Hermos without being spotted by Jean Claude's spies, and though Duke had tried leaving her Vivian would have nothing of it.

At one point he had almost convinced the woman to remain behind, but then a carrier pigeon had arrived and with came it tidings of the royal wedding taking place in Hermos the following day. After that, Duke could not even get Vivian to entertain the idea of remaining behind—though he was certainly in no mood to argue.

The sun had set by now and they were about a quarter of the way to Hermos. Though Vivian had begged them to hurry, the group of soldiers could only go so fast and the path that the handmaiden had taken led through the forest; Alister's horse could easily navigate the uneven terrain since it had traveled the path before, but the other horses were having trouble following.

Even so, they were managing to find their way with minimal opposition. On one hand it was reassuring, but on the other…Vivian found it hard to believe that their trip would really be without incident, especially since Jean Claude had to know by now she was gone. Why hadn't he sent anyone to stop them?

"It's probably a trap, you know."

Duke voiced what she had been thinking with a matter-of-fact tone, and when she turned to look at him he seemed almost resigned. "If we're wrong about my cousin's intentions, then us arriving might be perceived as a sign of rebellion from the lords, which could mean my execution among other unpleasant matters."

Vivian frowned. "Then if that's the case, my lord, you should go back and let me return to Hermos on my own."

"So you can do…what, exactly? Get captured or killed?" Duke snorted, shooting her a tired smile. "Jean Claude got on my nerves when I met with him, and as much of a naïve idiot that Prince Jousef is I prefer him over that trumped up glory hound."

Vivian grinned. "You and me both, if I am permitted to be so bold."

"When do you ever need permission to speak your mind? You never ask for it and my cousin never demands it of you."

Her smile faltered and she regarded the reins in her hands unhappily. "She never has," she said softly, her hands tightening around the leather.

"Vivian."

She looked up at Duke wordlessly. The man's facial features had sobered as well and his lips were a thin line. "Don't worry about my cousin, Vivian. She's stronger than she looks—I wouldn't be surprised if we got there and found Jean Claude hog-tied with Mai using him as a throne."

"But with a memory spell—"

"Look how that affected her last time. The only difference was that she didn't remember Prince Jousef, but aside from that she was the same as always."

They entered a part of the forest where there was nothing on the path but dirt and grass, Duke urged his horse into a canter. "As much faith in her as I have, however, I find it best to quicken our pace," he said over his shoulder.

Vivian could not agree more, but as she too nudged the horse's sides her legs chafed on the saddle and she bit back a grimace. "You owe me a day at the royal salon, Princess," she muttered as she followed after Duke.

* * *

><p>"Ooh, I wish I'd packed better dresses for this occasion!" Mai groaned, sifting through the trunk she'd brought. "I'm so silly! In all the chaos of getting the castle ready I forgot to get myself fitted for a wedding dress. I don't even have one scrap of cloth that's white except for my nightgown. Ugh, Vivian would know where everything is. Miho, be a dear and haul out the next gown!"<p>

Miho nodded reluctantly, her expression troubled as she pulled out the dress. Jean Claude had assigned her to look after Princess Mai in Vivian's stead, and though it was certainly fun at times to stay around the older woman there was always the shadow at the back of her mind of knowing what was to come. How she wished she could tell this poor woman that she was making a terrible decision by marrying Jean Claude! But she could not, for if she did the poor prince's younger sister would…

"Here, Princess," she said, pasting a smile on her face as she held up the garment. "Miho likes this one!"

Mai brightened as she held up a long-sleeved crème colored gown with a far too large and poofy skirt and embroidery on the bust. "Oh yes, this one will work marvelously! I wish Mother would skip out on giving me such frumpy looking gowns, but I'll make the best of it!" she said brightly, setting it . "All right, Miho, could you do me one more favor and braid my hair? Normally Viv gets it, but she seems to have vanished. I hope she's okay."

Miho nodded again, her fingers moving nimbly as she easily began braiding the long blonde tresses. "Miho is happy to oblige," she said, and in spite of her best efforts a sad note entered her voice.

A beat of silence fell as the two women sat. Miho focused on the task at hand, biting the inside of her cheek the entire time as she wove the woman's hair into an elaborate braid; she dared not speak, because either she was going to cry or tell Mai what was going on and she was afraid of what was—

"It's nice, you know."

Mai's sudden comment broke the silence, and Miho jumped so badly that she nearly pulled out a portion of the braid. "S-sorry?" she stammered out.

Mai turned to face her. "I said it'll be nice. I didn't mean to scare you, sweetie," she replied, laughing as she laid a reassuring hand on Miho's arm.

A shaky laugh and a weak smile was the reply Mai received. "It's okay, but…if you don't mind me asking, what will be nice?"

Mai shrugged, a smile stretching across her face. "Well, I'm excited because tomorrow it all ends," she said simply, leaning back. "Things are finally going to get sorted out."

The younger woman processed what had been said before looking at her with wide eyes. What did she mean by that? Did she just…did the princess _know_—?

"I mean, no more hunting for husbands, no more parents nagging at me to settle down—it'll be such a relief!" Mai continued before Miho could speak, flopping back on the bed with a contented sigh. The motion yanked her hair away from the young handmaiden and her hair fell from the braid. "I'm so glad! Everything is going to get so much better after tomorrow!"

Miho's heart fell and a lump rose in her throat. "Oh," she said as she turned away. "I bet it will."

* * *

><p><em>K-THUMP!<em>

Marik jolted awake as the wagon hit another bump, his eyes snapping open in the darkness. He had been dozing off for some time now in spite of the nap he had earlier; he was not nearly as tired as he had been that afternoon, though now a small headache had settled in and the bumpy road certainly did not help.

His eyes adjusted quickly as he started registering his surroundings. Someone was resting an arm protectively over his right shoulder, holding him upright in the wagon, and another person had hold of his left hand. He turned to the left and saw his sister, fast asleep and her head falling forward to rest almost uncomfortably on her chest.

"Master Marik?"

Ah. So Rishid was to his right, then.

Marik looked up at his older brother. Rishid looked about ready to join Ishizu in slumber, and though the man was clearly struggling to stay awake there was no hiding his exhaustion. "You should sleep," Marik stated.

Rishid shook his head. "It is all right, Master. I am fine."

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you not to call me that," muttered Marik under his breath, more out of habit than anything else. He sat up straighter, and he noted that Rishid's cloak was covering both Ishizu and himself. "Rishid, I insist. You need to sleep."

Another shake of the head. "But—"

"Look, I need to go check on something with Ryou anyways. I'm going to get up, go find him, come back, and then I'll go back to sleep. No, don't come with me," he added, noticing Rishid starting to rise. "Stay with Sister."

Rishid reluctantly complied, and after readjusting his position to allow Ishizu to lean against the older Enterran Marik rose carefully to his feet in the wagon. He gave a small wave to Rishid before he stepped down and began walking, his pace quickening to keep in time with the rolling wagons; he peered into the backs of the ones he was passing, one holding nothing but sleeping dancers and another containing props and trunks. The third wagon he came across, though, he spotted a familiar white-haired man wedged in the midst of more barrels and trunks and he hopped onto the back step.

"Watch out for Valon," said Ryou when he saw Marik, pointing to where the softly snoring Aurosian was. Valon was sprawled across the floor, tangled almost haphazardly in the blanket.

Marik snorted, gingerly stepping over the other young man. "He really does sleep anywhere, doesn't he?" he commented as he sat across from the white-haired man.

"I'd be inclined to agree." Ryou folded his arms, giving Marik a shrewd expression. "You're not here to talk to me."

It was not a question, just a simple statement of fact, and Marik sighed. "You're pretty good at that mind-reading thing, Ryou," he said quietly.

"Given what happened today, I would have been surprised if you _hadn't_ talked to Bakura. You don't like or trust Yami enough to ask him whatever it is you're thinking, so you'll go to familiar ground. Do I need to listen to this conversation, or is this a private one?" asked Ryou, his voice oddly resigned.

"Private talk, but not a long one. Sorry."

Ryou shrugged, his eyes shutting. "Don't be. I'm used to it, really," he said.

"That's not a fair view to have, you know," Marik pointed out. "I talk to you just as much as I talk to Bakura."

Ryou's eyes opened, but Marik took note of the almost-red hue they'd shifted into; the angles in Ryou's face had sharpened, and he knew then that Ryou was no longer listening.

"I was enjoying my slumber," growled Bakura irritably. "What do you want?"

Right, to the point then. "Do you know how to beat Ishtar?"

Bakura's annoyance vanished instantly, his expression going neutral almost alarmingly fast. "Is he listening?"

"…No. You're like him, surely you know _something_—"

"He's _nothing_ like me," said Bakura, his voice hard. "I am a separate soul, older than you, Ryou, and every living creature in this caravan combined. I've existed inside the Ring for millennia, and once I walked upon this earth as flesh and blood. Ishtar, on the other hand, is literally a shadow of you," he added, his voice rich with disgust.

"But he's also bound to a Millennium Item. If I took control of the Millennium Rod—"

Bakura gave a short, barking laugh. "Oh please. We both know what would happen the moment you touched the Rod. He didn't even try today when he overshadowed you—he has complete mastery over the Rod, while you've only used it once. You'd be better off grabbing the iron in the hottest part of the fire."

"Bakura, is there or isn't there a way to beat him?" Marik repeated, frustration injecting itself into his voice. "Look, if you don't know I'll just go ask Yami, I'm certain he'll want to help."

The thief laughed again. "You're bluffing. The only thing you hate more than Ishtar is Yami, and the day you ask him for help would be the day the sun implodes."

Bakura sobered, however, and he continued after a moment's pause. "But you really are that desperate to know of how to defeat Ishtar, aren't you?" he said seriously.

Marik nodded, his fists clenching at his sides.

The other man eyed him for a moment, then looked away. He said nothing at first, mulling over his words carefully. "Think of what Yami and I are," he said at last. "Nothing more than souls bound to tokens, but we can live on even if our current vessels die. We are separate and yet the same—you and Ishtar, however, are one and the same."

Marik waited for Bakura to continue, but when the man turned to look at him once again it was to find Ryou staring back at him. "What—wait, Bakura, you can't just leave the conversation like that!"

The other man shot him a confused frown before his eyes glazed, and when his vision cleared his baffled expression intensified. "He says you should figure it out, because he's not in any sort of mood to elaborate. He also says he's going back to sleep and he's not going to talk any more about it tonight."

The Enterran groaned, glaring at the Millennium Ring around Ryou's neck. "Some help you are," he muttered before looking back up at Ryou. "Thanks, Ryou."

"You're welcome. I'm only sorry you didn't find whatever answer you were looking for."

Marik shrugged as he rose to his feet, padding to the back step once more. "Bakura can be just as enigmatic as Yami or Sister when he wants to," he replied. "I'll puzzle what he told me on my own. In the meantime, I'm going to catch some sleep. You should do the same."

"Gladly," said Ryou, stifling a yawn with his hand as Marik departed.

The entire way back to the wagon with his siblings in it found the young Enterran in thought, puzzling over Bakura's words as he climbed back inside with his family; he noted with some amusement that Rishid had finally dozed off and he reached for a blanket. "At least you listened," he murmured with a small smile. "You've done enough for one day."

Marik then settled down nearby his siblings, already starting to doze off. With any luck the barely-there headache would be gone in the morning, because tomorrow was a day he needed all his focus for and he could not afford to be dead weight.

…Dead weight…

Dead.

_Nothing more than souls bound to tokens, but we can live on even if our current vessels die. We are separate and yet the same—you and Ishtar, however, are one and the same._

And then the meaning behind Bakura's words hit and Marik sat upright, the color draining from his features as he realized why Bakura had ended the conversation so abruptly. The movement almost startled his family awake, and Marik waited until he was certain his siblings were still asleep before he leaned against the canvas of the wagon, his breath coming in a shaky, ragged exhalation.

Bakura and Yami were separate entities using Ryou and Yugi to manifest. Though they were as two sides to a coin existing together, they were still separate beings. They did not necessarily need Yugi and Ryou to survive, only to appear and to use their Shadow powers.

Ishtar, by contrast, was not a separate soul that resided inside of Marik—he _was_ his host. In spite of his overwhelming power, there was no way for Ishtar to survive on his own, not without Marik.

To defeat Ishtar once and for all, to ensure that the being he had inadvertently created would never bring harm to anyone ever again, Marik would have to die.


	36. The Return

_At last the action kicks off...sort of! And hey, look at that, this time it only took a month!_

_I know this is starting to get redundant, but THANK YOU for reading this story of mine. It always overwhelms me when I see reviews, alerts, and favorites. I really do appreciate that, and I hope that you continue to enjoy the story. I'll try my hardest to respond to reviews in a timely fashion, but if I can't know that I appreciate them all the same :)  
><em>

_...Also, I will be severely disappointed if no one spots a season 0 callback._

* * *

><p>It was already hard enough to read the enchanted map without the wind blowing as fiercely as it was, but it was doubly hard to read the map while on the back of a dragon and while holding onto an enchanted burlap sack; Yugi had told him that it was bewitched to hold anything and everything inside (and without the sack changing size), which would come in handy when it came to transporting the banished guards. Alister had to constantly check his grip on the dragon's scales in addition to making sure that the map and the bag did not blow away—he was not entirely confident that Kaiba would rescue him if he accidentally slipped off.<p>

The sun had not yet risen, though the first rays of sunlight were starting to pierce the night sky as they traveled; already there was a rosy glow from the east, the edge of the sun just barely visible from the mountains around them.

Alister noted with relief that the pale blue triangle on the parchment was now moving ever closer to the glowing red dot on the map; Yugi had told him that the triangle represented Kisara, while the red dot symbolized their destination. If he never flew on a dragon again it would be all too soon.

The thought was quashed when he remembered that there was still a return journey ahead of him.

He tapped Kaiba's shoulder, waiting until the other man partially turned his head before calling over the roar of the wind. "We're almost there!"

Kaiba grunted, patting the side of Kisara's neck to signal her. "I've known that for almost an hour. Kisara can smell their campfires," he said bluntly, the dragon turning neatly as she started to angle downward. "We're on top of them."

Kisara's descent was gentle, the dragon nearing the edge of a grove of trees; Alister caught sight of tents and campfires, clothes hanging to dry on lines strung between the trees, and of neatly stacked weapons. Though it had seemed to be a sleepy atmosphere from above, there was now a flurry of movement and low, alarmed voices that greeted them as Kisara landed. A disgusted noise rose from her throat as she lowered her body to allow the humans off her back.

"I agree, Kisara. They're far too noisy," Kaiba said as his feet touched the earth. "Go."

Alister did not realize Kaiba had been talking to him until the other man shot him a pointed look and he rolled his eyes. "I'm not a people person and I don't take orders."

"Lies. If I was a brute over six feet tall with blond hair, or if I had an annoying and barely-believable cockney accent—"

"Let me amend my previous comment: I don't take orders from _you_."

"You knew you'd have to convince a large group to return back to Hermos. Why would you even volunteer to go if you knew you had to interact with people?"

"I have my own agendas you know."

"And you think I haven't wasted my precious time on an errand I didn't want to go on?"

Kisara growled then, bringing them to attention as one man cautiously stepped forward out of the trees. He was around Raphael's age, with brown hair held back in a braid. At the moment, he was holding a spear and clearly debating on whether he should throw the weapon in his hand at the enormous beast looming over him. Kaiba's eyes narrowed and one hand went to his sword.

Alister repressed a groan and moved forward, shooting Kaiba a pointed look as he moved. "Easy, Volxis," he called, holding his hands up. "The dragon's a sort-of friend."

There was a pause and then the man lowered the spear. "Alister?" he asked, sounding both incredulous and skeptical. "What—?"

By now several others had emerged from the camp, each carrying a weapon in their hands. Kaiba's eyes moved between each man that stepped into the open, his gaze threatening harm if any tried to attack Kisara; in the same manner, Kisara was clearly waiting for any signal to defend her master.

"What are you doing here?" asked Volxis, recovering. "The last we heard you were still in Hermos."

"Look, it's a long story and I've got only minutes to tell it. I'll explain it as we go, but you've got to pack your camps up because we've got a wedding to interrupt."

* * *

><p>A gentle shake of his shoulder was what first woke him. "Jou?"<p>

He turned, rolling over on his side and pulling the blanket over his head. "Five more min's, Ma, 'n' then I'll feed the cow," he muttered under his breath.

"But Jou, I'm not…er…Jou, we're here."

It took only a few seconds to process the statement before Jou's eyes snapped open and he jack-knifed into a sitting position. The motion drove his head into someone else's and he yelped out a curse, clutching his now throbbing forehead; when he opened his watering eyes, it was to see Yugi was in a similar position across from him.

"Sorry, Yugi," he apologized. "I just—we're here?" he asked, leaning out the back of the wagon. He caught a glimpse of familiar light-gray stone walls on the hill that towered above him, and he nearly fell from the wagon in an attempt to take in the view. How long had it been since he had seen this place as a human?

"We got here about ten minutes ago," Yugi said, and as Jou turned he noted the bright red mark in the middle of the shorter man's forehead. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah. At least, there's no threat of me passing out at random," he added, rubbing his still throbbing head. "How about you, little man?"

Yugi arched an eyebrow, his lips thinning the slightest bit as he scowled. "Perhaps we can leave my height out of that question," he remarked, though a small smile now played on his lips. "I'm okay, aside from having a headache."

"Sorry," Jou said, slightly guilty.

"It's fine, really. I can understand your enthusiasm," Yugi replied warmly. "If I was in your shoes, I'd be just as excited to see home again."

Jou grinned at the wizard as he leaned out the back of the wagon again, though the smile faded slightly as he gazed up at the castle. In only a matter of hours he would be home again…the thought was almost overwhelming. As he leaned out again, however, he realized he'd moved too far forward and with a startled yelp he toppled out of the wagon to hit the ground face first.

"The prince o' 'ermos, ladies 'n' gents. Always the picture of dignity."

As Jou currently had a mouthful of dirt and grass in his mouth, he instead contented himself with shooting a rude gesture at Valon before he sat up. The Aurosian was leaning against a nearby tree and did not look the least bit bothered by Jou's actions, instead grinning widely at the other young man.

"'n' 'ello t' you too," said Valon cheerfully, his gaze moving to where Yugi was clambering out of the wagon. "Téa says tha' the city's only 'bout twenty minutes away, 'n' since the forest is still pretty lush 'n' thick we've got some cover."

"Good. That'll give us the chance to finalize our plans," said Yugi as he bent down beside Jou. He helped the other man to his feet and handed him a small cloth to wipe his face off on. "Are the others awake?"

"Yup, 'n' I got sent t' get you blokes, so we better 'urry up b'fore Bakura gets antsy," said Valon. "C'mon."

Yugi and Jou exchanged glances before following after the Aurosian. As they passed through the rest of the caravan, Jou noticed that there were many people pulling out costumes, instruments, and even erecting impromptu stages and half-formed tents. Noticing where the taller man was looking, Yugi turned to watch as well. "Téa's troupe always inspects the equipment and the costumes for any sign of damage. Given that this is their first time performing in a castle, they're being a little more meticulous than usual."

"This is their first time in a castle?" Jou repeated, surprised.

"Most of the time her troupe performs at festivals or in town squares."

Jou frowned at that. It was a shame that their first performance in a place of royalty would most likely not be acknowledged…he would have to rectify that once the dust had settled and once he was back in Hermos. He looked up to the sky, trying to find the sun to gauge the time. "Do you think the wedding's happened yet?"

Valon shrugged. "Prob'ly not. I used t' live near a church 'n' the bells would be tollin' every time someone died or got married. 'm not 'earin' any bells, so that's gotta be a good thing."

"It is," announced Téa cheerfully, her head poking itself around the corner of a nearby scaffolding. "One of my friends just got back from the town. The wedding's taking place at the castle, midday,. It's still pretty early in the morning. We've got just enough time to get things squared away. The others are in the last wagon in the back, by the way."

She gestured to a wagon that was partially hidden behind a birch tree, and after thanking Téa the three of them continued on their way. Jou climbed into the wagon, allowed his eyes to adjust to the difference in light before moving any further; on the left were Marik and his siblings, with Ryou in the back of the wagon. Jou took a seat near Ryou, allowing Yugi and Valon to climb in behind him, and Téa followed shortly afterwards.

"So what do we have goin' on?" asked Jou. "Now that everyone's here, we can figure things out, right?"

"Yes," said Ryou. "One of the biggest problems we have is recognition. Aside from myself, Marik, Jou, and Valon are the most recognizable of our group. Rishid's been seen by Ishtar before, but it won't take as much to disguise his appearance as it will us—which is why I've brewed this potion for myself, Marik, and Jou."

As he spoke he pulled out three small vials that contained a pale blue liquid, passing them out to the people he had named; he held onto the one he had prepared for himself. Jou eyed the vial suspiciously before looking to Ryou.

"This won't make me grow another head, will it?" he asked doubtfully.

Ryou's eyebrows arched before he pulled the stopper out of his vial and downed the contents in a gulp. Almost instantly Ryou's white hair darkened to a pale brown, his fair skin tanning as his eyes turned a deep cobalt blue.

"Wow, Ryou!" said Téa, her eyes lighting up. "I can't even tell it's you!"

Ryou smiled. "That's the point. Magic is detectable by wards, but potions are harder because they alter a physical body without using a copious amount of magic. Still, to be safe I diluted the dose so it won't last as long. Marik, Jou, your turn."

The two young men eyed each other warily. At length, Jou held his vial up and announced, "Cheers," before he swallowed the potion. Immediately he felt his scalp start to gently tingle, his eyes burning only for a second before the sensations vanished as quickly as they had come. He looked up to gauge a reaction, his eyes first going to Yugi. "So…how do I look?"

Yugi rummaged in his cloak for a small mirror and held it up. "Not bad. I can still tell it's you, but I had to squint for a few seconds," he said as Jou took it, already studying his reflection.

His previously blond hair had turned a russet brown, while his complexion now matched Ishizu's. His eyes had turned a strange shade of hazel, not quite blue and not quite gold. It was slightly disorienting to look at, but he could still see himself in the reflection. "This isn't permanent, is it?" he asked, looking around anxiously.

"No," Marik responded, grimacing as he caught sight of himself in the mirror. The shade of his hair was now a golden blond, while his eyes were a dark shade of indigo; his skin, however, had paled in contrast to his previously healthy tan. "Thank heaven."

Ryou nodded, holding his hand out to take the now empty vials from Jou and Marik. "It'll only last two hours at most. Add a few extra touches here and there, and no one will be able to tell it's us. Valon and Rishid are simple enough to disguise without a potion, and Ishizu can pretend to be Sivya."

Téa frowned. "But what about Yugi?" she asked, looking to the shorter wizard worriedly. "Ryou, don't you have a potion for him?"

Yugi shook his head sadly. "I was born with magic, Téa. No amount of potion can hide that—the moment I come within range of the wards I'll set them off," he explained. "Thankfully the most these wards do is set off an alarm instead of the nastier ones, like where you end up having your blood boiled—"

"But we're not leaving you behind, Yug," Jou said sharply. "Not a chance of that happenin'!"

Yugi smiled reassuringly at them both. "I'll be tagging along, but I'll be sneaking in another way," he said, turning to Ryou. "I'm pretty sure Bakura stole what I'll be using some time ago, though, so…Ryou?"

The white-haired man smiled as he pulled out a medium sized pouch from inside his cloak. On the pouch's front was a familiar design sewn with red thread into the soft leather—a magic-jamming circle.

"Sorry," he said apologetically. "By the time I realized he had stolen it I was all the way in Haurand. You'll be pleased to note it still works."

Valon started in surprised recognition at the bag, snapping his fingers as he almost fumbled over his words. "I know wha' tha' is!" he said at last, pointing at the bag excitedly. "Elya worked on that a couple years ago, righ' before she 'n' Raph got hitched!"

"I commissioned Elya to make this, yes," Yugi agreed amicably. "Elya's the only person I know who can sew straight, precise stitches in any design. Given the need for accuracy when it comes to magic circles, I figured having her help would be best."

"Besides, she doesn't practice magic and was born without that gift, so there wasn't any transference of magical energy into the thread she used. That's why Bakura stole it," Ryou added dryly.

"But what is it?" asked Marik with a frown, leaning over to get a look at it. "What's its purpose? Bakura's never shown me."

_You never asked, _Bakura replied bluntly, signaling that he was awake.

Yugi smiled before he reached over for one of Marik's daggers. "May I?" he asked.

The Enterran shrugged, handing over the knife. "Be my guest," he replied, though he was watching the wizard intently.

Yugi took the too-long dagger and held it up next to the bag, showing that the knife was distinctly larger than the bag, and then casually dropped the knife into the bag. Instead of sticking out, however, the weapon disappeared inside the little pouch completely.

"There's an expansion spell I cast on the interior of the pouch, and it can hold anything of almost any size. I gave a similar satchel to Alister to help transport Jou's men back to Hermos without overwhelming Kisara," Yugi explained cheerfully when he noticed the startled looks being given. "That spell was cast prior to having the circle sewn to the outside of the bag.

"When the circle was sewn on that expansion spell was made a target of the circle, so the magic inside fuels the circle outside. Because of that, the circle is active. This pouch can get any magic item through wards because the circle literally jams the magic around it."

Jou leaned forward. "That's brilliant," he breathed. "And it works?"

"Yep! Grandpa and I tested it out on all kinds of wards of varying strength, and any magic item placed inside the pouch made it through without being detected," Yugi said. "I'll be hiding in here when we go to Hermos, and I'll also have the Ring and Puzzle with me. Ishizu, I'm terribly sorry to ask, but the Tauk will have to go in here as well."

One of Ishizu's delicate hands rose to her neck, her fingers brushing against the golden necklace in a slightly defensive manner. "I understand," she said quietly. "But I will only give it when we move from here, and as I am still its guardian I would like it returned."

"Of course," Yugi reassured her. "I'll make certain nothing happens to it."

"Well tha's good 'n' all, but wha' 'appens once we get into the castle?" Valon pointed out, sounding impatient.

_The boy's thinking for once. It's all fine and dandy that you're disguising yourselves, but that's only step one of many that we have yet to take. What's been discussed so far also fails to address what happens once inside, let alone how we're going to take on Jean Claude and his men _unarmed.

"Bakura's got a point. You can bet that all the weapons not in use are locked up in the armory, wherever that may be in the castle, and we can't exactly waltz around until we find it," said Marik flatly.

"We could hide some weapons in with the props," Téa said helpfully. "As long as they're well dispersed in the props, no one will check to see if they're real or not."

"But what of the unarmed men inside the guardhouse? We can hide our own weapons, but without weapons for the others they will be of little help to us in a battle," Rishid said then, glancing to where his quarterstaff was still in reach. "That also does nothing to free them."

Jou noticed Ishizu giving him a knowing look and he cleared his throat as something suddenly occurred to him. "There are tunnels that run under the castle. You can't get into them from outside the walls anymore, but you can access them from the stables and get into any point anywhere inside the castle. Among other places you can get into the armory, as well as the dungeons and the guardhouse."

"And no one else knows of these secret passages?" asked Ryou with some surprise. "I find that hard to believe, especially with the older castle guards."

"The secrecy behind the tunnels was in case someone on the inside of the castle betrayed the royal family," said Jou with a shake of his head. "Aside from my sister, Tristan, and myself, no one else knows about them—not even Jethro, and he's been there longer than any of the other guards."

Marik winced at the mention of the underground passageways but waved off the concern. "I'll be fine," he said, though he turned to Rishid and added in a mutter, "the tunnels _always_ have to be underground, don't they?"

Jou grinned as a small smile lit Rishid's features, but as he turned to Yugi he sobered. "Can the other men get out of that guardhouse if they go underground? I know you said that stepping outside the door means you get incinerated on the spot, but can they go _under_ the door?"

Yugi frowned at that. "I think it should be safe," he said at last. "Ishtar may not know about the tunnels, so he may not have entrenched his spell to encompass them. Besides, it's hard to cast spells underground and that particular curse is usually used on the exterior of a building."

Jou relaxed. "Great! So we should be good now, right?"

"Yes, I think that should do it for now," said Yugi. "We can use the tunnels to get anywhere in the castle, so that solves the problem of trying to get into the throne room without being caught. We should get going."

"Marik, Jou, come with me," said Ryou as he rose to his feet. "We still have to add the finishing touches on your disguises."

Both of the named men exchanged glances. "Like what?"

Ryou suddenly looked away, trying to hide a smile. "Um…well…you'll see soon enough," he said mysteriously. He looked around him and added, "Everyone else should go. Valon, Rishid, hang around this wagon—we've got to disguise you as well."

Valon rose to his feet, already hopping out of the wagon adroitly. "I'll be back in a bit," he said. "Call me when it's my turn, 'kay?"

Valon had no sooner stepped out of the wagon and into the sunshine when the sound of an eagle's cry pierced the air. Valon started in surprise as he looked up, and after searching the sky for a few quick seconds he saw the eagle flying down to him. It landed gracefully on a tree branch above him, giving a cry of welcome as it regarded him with warm golden eyes. Around the eagle's neck was a small leather strap with a familiar crest etched into the leather.

Valon felt the grin already stretching across his features at the familiar sight. "Eatos!" he greeted happily, holding an arm out to allow the eagle to perch. The large talons dug into the leather vambrace on his arm as Eatos landed, but Valon easily accommodated the bird as he carefully leaned against the tree behind him. "You're a sight f'r sore eyes."

Téa stared in awe at the sight of Eatos. "She's huge," she said, careful not to make eye contact with Eatos when the eagle looked at her. Over the years Téa had caught glimpses of the large eagle, but never had she been this close.

"Yup," Valon said happily, stroking the soft feathers on her head. The eagle leaned into the touch, clearly missing the attention. "Real smart, too. It's been a while, 'asn' it?"

He noticed the almost hopeful way the eagle was looking about the clearing. It took him a few moments to properly comprehend what she was doing, but when he realized why she was casting her gaze about his expression softened. "Sorry, Eatos," he said heavily, stroking a spot behind her eye with a finger. "I might be 'ere, but Raph's not."

Eatos studied him for a moment before she took to the sky once again, disappearing over the tops of the trees within seconds. Valon watched her go, his shoulders slumping for the briefest of moments before he straightened. "So, Ryou, you done yet?" he called gruffly.

"Um…yes, for now," Ryou replied, leaning out. "Valon, Rishid, you two come over. Jou and Marik, you know what you have to do."

Jou and Marik came out of the wagon then, both looking as if they were contemplating murder. They each carried a bundle of cloth in their arms, disappearing into the bushes nearby. Valon and Rishid watched them go, both baffled, but Ryou called them once again and they came over.

"Wha's got their panties in a bunch?" asked Valon.

Ryou sighed. "You'll see in a moment. I only ask you don't laugh when they finish changing. Now, let's get you squared away."

* * *

><p>It took fifteen minutes to properly disguise Rishid and Valon. Because Ryou looked so uncannily similar to the Thief King, he had gotten especially adept at forming disguises. When the caravan was ready to leave and Valon and Rishid finally emerged from the wagon, it took a good deal of studying to recognize them.<p>

Valon's hair had been pulled back into a ponytail that was high on his head, a pair of what Ryou referred to as "goggles" resting over Valon's bangs. His leather vambraces had been hidden by long, blue arm warmers, while his clothes were brightly colored; the top was a pale crème, paired with a long, light tan vest that halted at Valon's knees, and it was paired with long blue sultan pants, a cyan-colored sash lined with silver coins at his waist. Valon was now barefoot, with a single gold hoop earring in his left earlobe (a fake one that clipped on, Ryou had told him).

Rishid was perhaps most noticeably different, in that his scars were no longer visible. Ryou had found a long black wig in the props, and after securing it to a pauper's cap he had fixed it so that a good portion of the hair completely obscured the left half of Rishid's face; given that Ishtar could still try to possess Marik at any moment Ryou had felt that hiding the scars with makeup would not be in their best interest. He had also ensured that it blended seamlessly with Rishid's ponytail. Beyond that, Rishid's wardrobe only changed in that Ryou had him exchange his dark purple shirt with a white one—and given that no one could see the scars, everyone had trouble recognizing Rishid.

Once Ryou had finished with them he had disappeared into the bushes to help Marik and Jou, and after ten more minutes he emerged. They were also completely unrecognizable, he assured them before he disappeared into the wagon to start on his own disguise. But so far no one had seen them—neither one had left the cover of the bushes.

"You're wasting time. Everyone is ready to go and we're waiting on you guys. Come on out," said Téa exasperatedly.

"Never."

"I've decided to let Jean Claude have the kingdom," announced Jou. "You will never see me again."

Téa placed her hands on her hips, scowling. "I don't see what the problem is, especially since you two won't step out and show us."

Marik's voice carried a rasp of warning in it. "And that's how it's going to stay. I am _not_ leaving this bush."

The brown-haired girl scowled, rolled up her sleeves, and disappeared into the bushes. Two voices simultaneously yelped in pain as Téa dragged them into the open by their ears. She had not properly looked at them, but as she released them and turned to scold them the words died in her throat.

Valon took one look at Marik and Jou before he promptly hunched over, fighting back the laughter; Marik was especially adept at throwing knives and Rishid was _right there next to him_, and that was what stopped him from laughing outright. At this point he was positive he was going to break a rib or two if he did not let it out—it felt like his ribs were creaking with effort.

Rishid looked surprised at the sight of his brother, while Yugi tried not to smile. Ishizu looked as if she was struggling mightily to retain her dignity, but in the end she was the first one who spoke.

"I always wondered what my sister would look like, should I ever chance to have one," she commented, keeping her face remarkably straight.

That was all it took for Valon to hit the ground, roll over, and _die_. His roaring laughter rang through the clearing, drawing the attention of those around him, and while several shot them confused glances no one joined in on the laughter.

Marik was clothed in a high-collared, deep purple dress, his hair pulled back in an almost lazy partial up-do. His golden jewelry had been replaced with pearls, some even strung through his hair in a strange sort of circlet; the barest hint of color had been applied to his cheeks and lips. Ryou had not messed with the _kohl_ around Marik's eyes (most likely because Marik would not have allowed it).

Jou, meanwhile, had been placed in a pale lavender dress that only reached his knees, a thin edge of lace ruffling at the hem; a pair of soft deerskin boots had been given to hide his legs. A pale cape had been added to cover Jou's shoulders, and his hair had been styled into wavy curls. Blue makeup had been put onto Jou's eyes, while a deep red had been applied to his lips and cheeks.

"Shut up, shut up, _shut UP!"_ Jou snarled, his face a marvelous crimson at this point. Marik looked as if he wanted to grab hold of a blunt weapon and bludgeon the Aurosian to death with it. "Ryou, _why_? Why can't we have different disguises?"

Ryou stepped out of the wagon. He also was in a dress, though it was a modest crème colored one with a teal collared shirt visible beneath it. His hair had been pulled back by an aquamarine cloth, and a pale pink lip color was the only makeup he had applied. "It's because they'll be looking for _men_ who are not supposed to be there. Women practically slip under the radar," he replied, looking almost perfectly at ease in his attire. "You'd be surprised at how often I managed to fool the so-called smartest men in the world by donning a dress."

_Don't expect me to help anyone as long as you're clothed in such attire, Ryou,_ said Bakura irritably from inside the Ring. _Now can we please get going? _

Téa nodded, already moving towards a horse. "I'll go ahead of you and announce we're on the way. It'll save you the trouble of having to deal with the guards if they know we're coming."

Yugi started. "But—!"

"No 'buts', Yugi. I'll be fine—I'll just claim we're a little lost and that we're coming, then I'll come right back," she assured him as she mounted, and before the wizard could stop her she took off at a canter out of the clearing.

Jou noticed Yugi's look that followed Téa's departure, laying a hand gently on Yugi's shoulder. "She's scary strong, Yug," he said. "She could give Mai a run for her money in terms of toughness. Téa will be okay—that's a promise."

Yugi offered him a wan smile, turning to look at him. "Thanks for that, Jou."

Jou's grin grew wider and he slapped Yugi on the back. "Téa won't prove me wrong. If she does, I'll have you turn me into a dragon again—only it'll be some little baby dragon thing that can't do much," he declared.

This time the wizard's smile was genuine. "Or I'll turn you into some fluffy flying hammer," he replied with a mischievous light in his eyes.

_Or I could set him on fire,_ Yami added helpfully, startling both of them.

"No setting people on fire, Yami, you remember what happened last time," Yugi said flatly. Noticing Jou's suddenly pale expression, he added, "Don't worry, I won't let Yami burn you alive or anything like that. Now, I think we'd better finish getting ready. Time's slipping away."

As Yugi strode away, Jou almost swore he heard Yami mutter sullenly, _but it's fun, even if the smell is atrocious._

That was the moment Jou decided not to cross the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle—ever.

* * *

><p>Téa returned to them when the caravan was ten minutes away from the castle. She looked rather disdainful, as if she had stepped in something unpleasant, but her expression brightened when she saw the others.<p>

"They've got two guards at the gate and they're checking wagons. They're not being too thorough about it, though," she said, pulling back on the reins of her mount. "So far I've only seen nobility showing up at the wedding, and that's weird because certainly _someone_ should have realized what is going on by now. Jou, are there nobles who don't know you?"

Jou nodded unhappily. "Yeah. Look, they knew my dad, but I was always in the background at the events. My dad wasn't keen on letting everyone see me…really, the only time I was allowed to even be in royal attire was when we were on diplomatic visits outside of Hermos. I would not be surprised if there are nobles who don't even know my dad had a son."

Noticing the still disgusted look on the other woman's face, however, Jou's eyes narrowed. "Okay, what happened?"

"That guard—Keith?—is _awful_," she declared, her voice almost trembling with anger. "He's stone drunk already. It's not even midday! I managed to stave him off, but it was still humiliating and…I'll be honest, I almost punched him. He said so many awful, nasty things."

There was something almost predatory that entered Yugi's gaze, and the air around him became thick with tension. For a moment his eyes flashed red. "Oh."

_Perhaps this Keith is one that we can set ablaze. _Yami sounded hopeful at the prospect.

"Yugi, Yami, don't," said Ryou sharply. "We're too close to the castle for you to start using magic. In fact, now's the time to disappear in the bag," he added.

Yugi deflated and he glanced at the Puzzle. He pulled out the small pouch and opened it, holding a hand out to Ryou and Ishizu. "I'll be holding the Items so no harm comes to them," he said.

Ryou calmly lifted the Ring off his head, ignoring the annoyed growl from the item as he handed it to Yugi. Ishizu, however, was much more reluctant; her hands lifted slowly and undid the clasp at the back of her neck, but Yugi did not rush her and at last she gently placed the Tauk in Yugi's palm.

"You _will_ give that back to Sister," Marik said, voicing what all three of the Enterrans present were thinking.

Yugi nodded. "Without a doubt," he replied, carefully tucking the item into a buttoned pocket in his cloak. He then took the bag out and turned to move in the wagon before he paused and looked over at Jou. "One more thing. Yami has a gift for you," he said.

As he spoke he pulled out an obsidian pendant, and Jou held his hand out to take it; when he looked down he caught sight of a familiar black-scaled dragon curled into a circle, its head facing forward as its tiny ruby eyes glinted in the sunlight. "Er, thanks, but…what is it?"

_That is something you will have to discover. The obsidian disguises what is hiding inside the pendant. When the time comes, take it off and throw it against a hard surface to break it—you will know when it is time. It will be a hard-to-miss sign._

Jou nodded, taking the cord and looping the pendant around his wrist as a bracelet; he had no doubts that wearing it as a necklace would only draw attention.

Yugi then stuck his hand in the pouch, and Jou jumped as the shorter wizard vanished completely from view. "How did he—?"

"The pouch is certainly effective," Ryou commented, closing it with a pull of the drawstrings. "I'll hang onto it for now. We won't be able to open it until the right moment, when we've revealed ourselves. It won't take much effort for Yugi to dismantle the wards, but we need an element of surprise."

The next ten minutes passed in silence, each moment bringing them ever closer to the road. Soon the trees vanished to be replaced by a dirt path, then by a paved stone road that widened as they cleared the forest entirely. Jou sucked in a sharp breath when the castle's shadow loomed over them; ahead, the drawbridge had been lowered and he could see carriages and nobles milling about in the courtyard.

"Here we go," he said softly, his hands clenching tightly at his sides.

* * *

><p>"Miho, look! That must be the dancing troupe that darling girl told us about!" Mai cried, her eyes lighting up as she peered out the window. The young woman had just emerged from the bath and was clothed in a simple white slip, her hair still drying; Miho had been in the process of rubbing the mass of curly blonde hair down with a blanket when Mai had half-risen from her seat.<p>

Miho blinked and looked over Mai's shoulder, seeing the caravan approach the front gate. She could see a man speaking with the guards stationed there, gesturing widely to the wagons behind him; colorful banners adorned the sides of the wagons, while several members of the troupe lingered on the ground. Keith almost lazily waved them in, leaning back against the wall as they passed him; Miho did not need to be down there to know that the man was most likely leering at the women in the group.

Mai let out a dreamy sigh as she stared down at the troupe. "Such gorgeous dresses, aren't they?" she asked, sounding almost envious. "I'd rather wear that short lavender one that one girl has. See her? She's got that wavy brown hair and—hello, look at that!"

Keith had been talking to a black-haired woman in one of the wagons, but his head had turned and he took a step forward to block the path of a young girl in a dark purple dress. Effectively, he was preventing her from passing; his weapon was not drawn, but he was towering over her with his hands in his pockets and practically leering at her. Miho recognized the behavior, and indeed the girl—her skin tanned and with golden blonde hair partially pulled up—held an expression on her face that bordered on disgust.

It had not been Keith's actions that had caught Mai's attention, however. It had been the actions of the Enterran man nearby, who had seen the commotion and without breaking stride had swept his staff at the back of Keith's knees with a blow hard enough to knock him off his feet. Another girl—the same one Mai had noted earlier—then practically stomped on his stomach as she passed, most likely knocking the air out of his lungs.

Miho tried hard not to look too gleeful when she witnessed the event. Keith was an awful drunkard, and when he was not sampling ale he was harassing the young women in the castle. It was nice to see someone finally put the man in his place. _Serves him right_, she thought with a hidden smile. Aloud, however, she said, "Miho hopes they won't get in trouble."

"I don't think so, honey," Mai said, watching as another guard hurried toward them. "It looks like an accident to me."

Miho nodded slowly. It _had_ looked as if it had happened by accident…indeed, the Enterran man was hauling Keith back to his feet and looking as if he was apologizing before following after the others. Still, however, it had been rewarding to see Keith finally get knocked down a peg or two.

"Miho, we need to get back to getting ready. The wedding's in just an hour," Mai said, hopping to her feet as she moved her way to the dress slung over the back of the chair. "I'll have plenty of time to watch the troupe."

The small amount of joy that had blossomed in her chest at the sight of Keith's misadventure vanished. "Of course, Princess," she said, her shoulders slumping briefly as she turned. She pasted another smile in place as she faced Mai. "Miho is here to help."

* * *

><p>"Rishid that was dangerous. I'm not complaining about what you did, because that was art in motion and he deserved it, but what if the other guard had detained you?" Marik said in a low voice. He was alongside his older brother, though he kept his gaze straight ahead.<p>

It had been a tense few moments as they had entered; though Yugi had assured them that he would not be detected, there was still no guarantee that the pouch would shield the magic of the Items and that of the wizard. Thankfully it had, but then Keith had intervened and Rishid had ended up putting a stop to it.

"What that man said to you and Sister was vulgar. I could not allow that to pass," Rishid replied evenly, though he looked not even remotely sorry for what he'd done. "I do admit that perhaps I should have been more discrete in my actions."

"Don't feel bad, Rishid. If anyone deserved that and worse, it was him," Jou added, coming alongside them. Valon was right behind him, grinning at the still wheezing Keith behind them. "I almost tackled him when he whistled at me."

"'n' b'sides, 'e's one of the gits who attacked me in the forest. 'm not tha' forgivin', but if I'd done somethin' 'e'd 'ave recognized me," said Valon. "People don' forget my punches tha' easily."

"Yeah…wish I'd done more to him, though," Jou muttered, his face darkening.

"It's probably for the best that you didn't," Ryou said, flanking Rishid's left side. He glanced around furtively before leaning in. "Jou, where's the entrance to the passages?"

Jou instantly sobered, almost halting in the courtyard as the wagons moved around him. "The closest one is in the stables," he whispered, suddenly aware that another man was coming toward them from the castle. He was wearing gold-plated armor beneath a deep red cape; he did not have on a helmet to hide the receding dark brown hair on his head. Behind him, Jou felt Valon stiffen before instantly ducking his head.

"I am Gurimo, captain of the guard," said the other man haughtily. "You must be the dancing troupe Prince Jean Claude is expecting. His Highness welcomes you and regrets that he cannot immediately greet you."

"Have no worry over it, friend," said the head of the caravan, dipping his head in respect. "Where may we leave our wagons? We need a large space to set up our stages."

"You may take your animals to the stables. We have room for them there. The wagons may be set up there, in front of that little shack," said Gurimo, gesturing to the guardhouse nearby. "I would recommend you make haste in your preparations—the wedding will start in less than an hour."

"Thank you, Captain Gurimo," said the other man, and he snapped the reins to lead the troupe towards the guardhouse.

"Now is your chance," said Ishizu softly as her wagon passed them. "Take this opportunity to enter into the passages. Rishid, Marik, look after each other."

"We'll be fine, Sister," Marik said, giving her a reassuring smile. Jou frowned when he noted that the smile did not reach into his eyes, but he did not comment.

As the last of the wagons pulled along sideways near the stables, the small group used the cover of the wagons to hurry into the stables, slipping inside the cool, dim building. The scent of hay and horses rose around them in a cresting wave, but Jou ignored it as he led them into the back. At the last stall he pushed open the door, motioning for them to follow after him; they noticed that Jou's brown hair now held bleeding golden blond streaks. The potion was wearing off.

The moment they were safely inside the stall Jou instantly turned and pulled a bundle of clothing out from the inside of his dress. "You'll forgive me if I'm not so keen on saving my kingdom and Mai while looking like this," he said, reaching for a spare cloth to wipe the makeup off his face. "Mind if I take a minute to change?"

"Not at all, because I'm going to as well," said Marik, glancing at his brother. "Can you stand watch?"

"Of course," said Rishid quietly, already slipping back outside.

"I'll go with ya," said Valon, following him out. "Jus' in case somethin' goes wrong."

It only took five minutes for Jou to shed the dress and to redress himself; he'd chosen a green tunic with brown pants, and he tucked them easily into the dark brown boots he'd snuck in with him. Marik and Ryou were even faster, already used to shedding disguises, and by the time Jou turned it was to see the other two men completely back to normal. The potion had worn off, completely dispelling their disguises.

"Okay, Rishid, Valon, come on back in," called Jou softly, and when the other two men came back in it was to find them in different attire as well—Rishid had removed the wig, while Valon was in a completely new wardrobe. He must have kept his old clothes on underneath the disguise, Jou thought. _Wish I could have done that._

"So where's the entrance?" asked Marik.

In reply, Jou bent down to a long panel of the stall and pushed it in with a hard shove. There was a _click_ as the door swung open, revealing a narrow, winding staircase that disappeared underground. "Right here. Watch your heads, it gets really narrow really quick."

"Joy," said Valon sardonically. "I jus' _love_ small dark places."

"Welcome to the club. I grew up in one," Marik retorted as he watched Jou slip inside. He grimaced before following after the blond man; Ryou and Valon moved after him, and the four young men waited until Rishid entered and had closed the door behind him before looking to Jou. It was impossibly dark and cramped.

"Well this sucks," said Valon, sounding thoroughly unhappy. "I can' see a thing. Jou, where do we go?"

There was no immediate answer.

"Jou? _Jou, c'mon_," Valon said, his voice hitching. "I wasn' kiddin' about not likin' small dark places!"

Marik reached forward blindly until he found a tense shoulder, laying a reassuring hand on it. He remembered that the Aurosian had expressed an intense dislike of confined spaces, as he had once ended up in a dingy jail cell that was as small and dark as they came; the dislike often bordered on crippling fear. "Relax," he said, his eyes already adjusting to the darkness. "I can see and it's not so bad."

He noticed an iron handrailing bolted to the wall and took hold of it, gently taking one of Valon's wrists to guide his hand to the railing. "Chances are that Jou went ahead of us to find a torch or something."

"How'd you guess?" said a familiar voice as a warm flicker of firelight reached them. Jou was holding a wooden stick dipped in pitch, a fire already crackling at the top. "Sorry about that, but I had to make sure…anyways, let's go. The passages are all clear, and we've got a lot to do."

* * *

><p>"There must be <em>something<em> we can do!" Corda burst out angrily, pacing in the common area of the guardhouse. He was clearly agitated, but though the rest of his comrades shared his sentiment he was the only one in motion. "We can't let this happen!"

"And I would _love _to hear what plan you have to get out of here, boy. Remember, we go through a door or window and we die instantly," said Adias flatly, though his own eyes were dark with frustrated fury. "We can do nothing."

The twenty or so men still loyal to the true prince had watched the preparations for the upcoming festivities from inside the guardhouse for the past few days, unable to do anything to stop what was happening around them. Even sticking a finger outside the window meant turning into a smoldering pile of ash.

"I'm afraid that Adias is right, lad," said Jethro sadly. "We can do nothing about our situation. The wedding is going to happen whether we want it to or not."

"But the captain wouldn't let this—!"

"For all we know he's dead, just like Alister," said Faust gloomily. "Who's to say what he would and would not do?"

A heavy silence fell, Corda continuing to pace in large, agitated circles around the room. No one had seen Raphael leave the castle and they knew that whatever had happened had not been of Raphael's own volition; the man's sword was still hanging in its scabbard by his bedside, and that was something that Raphael always carried with him. For him to leave it behind…well, there was only one reason for that.

The tension broke when the sounds of scratching came from underneath a chest in the corner of the room, followed by a hard _thump_ and a muffled but loud curse. The men who were seated half-rose from their seats, while Jethro pushed Corda behind him defensively.

"What was that?" asked the younger man, eyeing the spot with curiosity and alarm.

Jethro reached for a fire poker before looking to Faust and Adias, tipping his head to the chest. The two men nodded before silently crossing the room, lifting the oak chest carefully. As Jethro approached, he caught snatches of voices beneath the stone floor, though they were muffled.

"…should teach you…look where you're going," he heard one voice say.

Jethro studied the stone at his feet, noticing a small gap in the mortar wide enough for a hand to grip it. He motioned for Adias and the man slipped his hand into the opening. Jethro counted down from five before signaling Adias, and as the man pulled the stone away with surprising ease Jethro raised the poker to strike—

"_Jethro don't, it's me!"_

The blow halted in mid-swing as the familiar voice came from below him. He felt the color drain from his face as the poker fell from his hands, clattering to the floor. "What in the name of…how is it…?"

"See, I told you before that I have my own secrets. And you wondered why I was never tardy to any training sessions?"

While Jethro stared in stunned disbelief Jou took the chance to crawl up onto the floor and rise to his feet. He grinned at them with a familiar, if not tired, smile. "Hi, guys," he said, offering a small wave. "Jumpin' Jou here."

For one moment there was silence, and then the men pressed in on him from all sides, hands reaching to clap his shoulder or try to embrace him as a thousand questions came all at once: _where have you been, how did you get here, have they seen you, are the others all right_, _we didn't betray you and that's why we're here, we're so glad you're all right _and other such things. They noticed four others hoist themselves to the floor as well and the group made room for them.

Jou finally held a hand up to silence them, his grin almost stretching from ear to ear. "It's nice to see you as well," he said, though his eyes held a sad light. "I'm only sorry that this happened and that it took me so long to come home."

"Don't fret over it, lad," said Jethro warmly. "We knew that your quest was noble in purpose, and that if you lived you would do everything in your power to return. Jean Claude was the one who—"

One of the Enterrans—the younger one—cleared his throat to interrupt. "We've told him that a million times, but he doesn't seem to listen unless you beat him over the head," he said wryly.

Jou shot him a scowl but sobered, looking at them. "I'm only stopping here to let you know I'm alive, and to let you know that we've got a plan in motion," he said, looking around them. "We've still got one more place to go before we get you out of here, but I need all of you to stay put. If someone comes to check on you they've got to see you here. We'll be back before the wedding starts, promise."

"Are you going to the dungeon?" asked Corda. "There are people down there. Mostly they're servants, but there are a few guards here and there…and…"

He trailed off, but Adias spoke for him. His gaze found Valon, and his next statement was directed at the Aurosian. "Raphael vanished a few days ago. We are not certain if he is dead or not, but if he is alive he's bound to be in the dungeon. Aside from the interior of the castle—which we doubt he'd be, as there's a chance of running into Princess Mai—a cell is the only other place he could possibly be."

Valon started, his mouth settling into a grim line. "We'll find 'im," he said, eyes flashing.

Jou grinned at them before he turned. "Okay…we're off," he said with a smile and a wave. "With any luck we won't get spotted."

The group dropped back into the passage and Jethro moved the panel back over the passage way. Corda watched them leave with wide eyes before he shot a startled but happy smile to Jethro. "Do you think they'll be caught."

"Never mind that. Corda, lad, you're bursting with energy. See if we have any chainmail or any weapons hiding around here," ordered Jethro sharply. "We have our own wedding preparations to make."

* * *

><p>"I'll be here waiting," said Ryou the moment the panel above them had been restored. "If something goes wrong one of us needs to be stand watch down here to warn the others."<p>

"Makes sense," said Jou with a small smile. "We'll be back in a minute. Let Jethro know you're down here so that he knows to signal you."

Valon looked thoroughly unhappy as Jou picked up the torch once again (he'd left it in a grating on the wall), but as he turned to go Ryou snagged his arm and said, "Hold out your hands."

When the baffled Aurosian complied Ryou pushed three medium sized flasks at him. "These are for Raphael. The green one is to stop the draught, the yellow one is the strongest concentration of healing potion I can brew, the red one is to replenish any blood loss. Raphael has to take these potions in the order I just gave, because otherwise he _will_ die. These aren't potions to get confused."

Valon nodded, his discomfort about his surroundings vanishing in a moment as he pocketed the vials. Already he had begun reciting the order in his mind, both as a distraction from the tunnel and to make certain he had it right: _one green, two yellow, three red. Green, yellow, red, green, yellow…_

"Okay, if we're done here…Jou, care to lead the way?" asked Marik then, sounding slightly impatient.

Jou turned, and in the torchlight his grin looked eerily similar to the one he had sported as a dragon. "Certainly," he said, and then he set off into the darkness.


	37. Dungeons and Dragons

_And now we have a new chapter! Mwee—vacation has done wonders for rejuvenating plot bunnies. I don't have that much to say this time around, but this update is a teensy bit longer to make up for my absence. Also, I'm laughing at the title of this chapter._

_Thank you to everyone who has been following, reviewing, and reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

><p>Jean Claude eyed the crowd that was milling about the front hall. Behind him was the throne room, the large space converted into a chapel for today's special occasion. The previously empty room had been lined with twenty elegantly carved wooden benches and an altar in front of the throne. Gorgeous summer flowers hung in every corner of the room, white cosmos with bright pink carnations intermixed—Jean Claude had picked out the colors himself. The room had been decked out in white lace with gold-trim thread.<p>

In only an hour the wedding he had dreamed of for so long would begin. He'd have a kingdom, a beautiful wife, and nothing could stop him. That miserable idiot Jousef was probably nothing more than a slobbering stupid beast by now, and his sister would die without his beloved knowing. While he would be away on his honeymoon he'd have Jou's remaining guards, as well as those in the dungeon, executed.

He turned to the mirror and studied his reflection. He'd had some of the old king's wardrobe refitted, so that now he was clad in pure white leggings, a tunic with large, gold trimmed padded shoulders, and boots. He wore a long red velvet cape, and at his side hung his sword; the final addition to his wardrobe aside from the pink carnation pinned to his chest was the orichalcum pendant.

He frowned when he realized he had not yet seen Ishtar that day. The Enterran, who had been skulking about so sullenly for the past few days, had suddenly seemed to cheer up over night; he had not said why, only that he was now excited for the wedding to begin. Strange, since the man had not seemed to care one way or another, but then that was the enigma named Ishtar. He'd let him be for now.

Jean Claude straightened his cloak one more time, then he looked to the musicians in the hall and motioned for them to start playing their music. Gentle, sophisticated music rang through the hall and the nobles, sensing this was a cue of sorts, began to file into the throne room to take their seats.

In another twenty minutes, Jean Claude decided, the wedding would begin.

* * *

><p>"I was wandering the grounds one day when I fell against a loose grating and found myself in these tunnels," Jou explained as he walked through the dark. "After I clued Tristan in we started mapping. It was hard to explore because most of them were threatening to cave in, and we had to keep track of where we had been. We had to fix it on our own, basically, but it was worth it. We can get to almost anywhere in the castle."<p>

"You mentioned earlier that you couldn't get in from outside the walls. Why is that?" asked Marik with a frown.

"You could at one point," Jou snorted with some annoyance. "That passage goes from the throne room and under the moat, though, and my dad didn't bother maintaining the tunnels. That path flooded last spring—we had to block the passage so that the moat didn't flood out the other tunnels."

"And the architects were _magically_ absent?"

"Hiring them cost gold. Because after all, good ale is better than letting the men who are _supposed_ to fix the tunnels do their jobs."

"Look, I don' care none 'bout these stupid tunnels or your daddy issues. I jus' wanna know 'ow far away we are from gettin' out," Valon called out from behind them, an edge in his voice. The combination of his inherent fear of small, dark places and his concern for Raphael was severely testing his patience.

Though a small scowl crossed Jou's face he did not comment. He could understand Valon's concern; his own worry for his younger sister had been growing steadily, setting in the moment he had crossed the drawbridge into his home. It was all he could do to stay their current course, rather than beeline for the north tower. Three months ago he might have charged straight in, but hard-earned experience had taught him that he needed to be slightly more patient. Besides, the potential of a trap laying in wait for them was far too great.

Jou halted and lifted the torch higher, revealing a three-pronged crossroad in front of them. They noted that a little ways down the left path there was nothing but cobblestone completely filling the passage; the group assumed that was the flooded tunnel, for they could see a small pool of water gathered at the base of the barricade. That left two passages to them, and a moment later Jou made a small noise of triumph.

"This way," he said decisively, taking off down the right passage. "Only a couple more minutes, and then we'll be there. It'll let out into a cell, so hopefully no one is occupying it. Otherwise, we're out of luck and we'll have to find another way in."

After they had traveled up one last narrow winding stairway (much to Valon's discomfort), the group found themselves being led into a small cell, dimly lit by torches outside in the hallway. Once Jou had made sure the passage door was shut, he carefully pushed on the cell door, holding his breath as he pulled on the ring. _Oh please be unlocked, don't be locked, please please pleaaaaase…_

To Jou's great relief, the thick oak door creaked open and he relaxed, turning to give a thumbs up to the others. "Door's open," he said in a low voice. "I don't know about guards down here, so be careful coming out."

Jou eased the door open to prevent the hinges from creaking, moving to the wall to allow everyone behind him into the passageway. It was a narrow passage, with cell doors spaced evenly to their left and ending behind them in a small cul-de-sac; the passage abruptly turned to the right, hiding the rest of the cells from view. Unlike the roughly hewn stone that formed the underground catacombs beneath them, the dungeons were built with the same stone that the rest of the castle was, though considerably darker than the stones above them. Aside from the flickering torches overhead, there was no other light.

"So where to?" Valon asked, but Marik motioned for him to lower his voice. Rolling his eyes, the Aurosian continued with a whispered, "Jou, where do we go?"

"This wing remains mostly unoccupied if I'm not much mistaken, because it's so distant from the entrance," Jou responded with a frown, trying to remember. "Up ahead there's a common room that acts as a hub to the other three passages. I don't know how many people Jean Claude's thrown down here, though…we'll have to check each cell."

Valon noticed an opening in the wall, and when he wandered over to examine it his eyes fell on an anvil sitting on a small wooden cart; there was also a giant metal sledgehammer leaning against the anvil. On the surface of both the anvil and the hammer was what looked like flakes of dried rust.

_All the bones below his elbows were broken multiple times, to the point where the bones splintered and came through his skin…_

_You weren't the one who dropped both a hammer and a freaking anvil on my arms._

The Aurosian backed away with a noise of disgust and horror. Jou turned and saw the anvil as well, his own expression darkening with anger. Before he could speak, they heard footsteps and loud voices approaching. Judging by Jou's expression the other group was not to be considered allies.

Marik shot a look to Rishid before turning to Jou and Valon. "Leave them to us," he whispered. "Move further down this passage. Douse the torches as you go."

"But—!"

Marik silenced him with an almost predatory smirk, one that caused the hair on Jou's arms to rise. "Rishid and I grew up in the dark. We're more at an advantage when the light can't reach us," he continued quietly. "Go."

Jou and Valon exchanged glances before the brown-haired man reached for a nearby torch and dropped it into a nearby barrel of water, the flame vanishing with a hiss. Jou followed suit, and within minutes the entire passage was filled with nothing but oppressive dark. Neither Jou nor Valon could see their hands in front of their faces.

Marik, on the other hand, welcomed the darkness like an old friend. His eyes instantly adjusted to the darkened passage, and he knew Rishid could already see as if the torches had not been put out. The two of them waited calmly, almost patiently, as the footsteps drew nearer.

There were three guards, Marik noted as they turned, not any one of them wearing armor. The torches thankfully were spaced out enough so that the last torch was further away from the turn of the passage, and as the men rounded the corner they halted in confusion. Marik could see their laid back attitude vanish as they registered the absence of light, uneasily hesitating in the passage.

And it was then that Marik and Rishid moved in tandem, silent predators in the dark.

Marik caught the first one off guard, dazing him with an elbow to the jaw. He turned on the second quickly, going for the man's windpipe with a quick punch. It was not enough pressure to kill him, but the man went down clutching his throat in panic. Marik then rounded on the first man, noticing that he was already rising to his feet. Remembering what Valon had said about the diaphragm, Marik kicked hard in the guard's middle. He heard the gust of air leave his target and his opponent soundlessly collapsed.

He looked over his shoulder to see if Rishid needed help, but his brother was standing silently over the unconscious guards. "They are all subdued, Master."

Marik bit back the annoyed and often repeated retort, instead looking down the passage. "The coast is clear," he called softly.

As they heard Jou and Valon move slowly up the passageway, Marik glanced at Rishid before rounding the corner. "Stay there and wait for them."

Marik came to the first torch he could find, grabbing it and lifting it out of the iron grating it was in. As he moved past another cell door, however, he heard a startled gasp and his head turned sharply. He caught a pair of dark eyes watching him from behind the bars on the cell door.

"I'm a friend, I promise. Do any of you know Jou?" he asked then.

The other person stared soundlessly at him before vanishing from sight, and he heard the sounds of a fiercely whispered conversation begin. He waited to see if anyone would come to the door, but when no one returned Marik made his way back to the corner where Rishid was waiting; Jou and Valon had nearly reached the older Enterran, though Jou was bending down to grab three sets of key rings off of the unmoving guards.

"There are no more guards up this way, but there are people in a cell nearby," Marik reported. "I saw someone come to the door as I passed. Dark blue eyes, black hair, blue cloth across his forehead…sound familiar?"

Jou grinned. "Yeah," he said, sounding both relieved and surprised. "I can't imagine why he's down here, though. Let's go say hello, but before we do we'd better hide these guys," he continued, nudging one guard's head none too gently with his boot.

The men were placed in an empty cell, chained to the wall, and for good measure the three of them were gagged; it would not be in their favor if the alarm was sounded. Once the men were secure, Jou turned the corner and, after listening for the whispers, moved to the cell door.

As he came up on the door, he heard more than one familiar voice in the cell and he put his face to the window. He could not see in the small space all that clearly, but then Marik came behind him with a torch and illuminated the interior of the dingy little room.

The person Marik had seen had his back turned to the door and was speaking to three figures smaller than he was. Jou winced when he saw that the prisoner still had on a blue sleeveless shirt, tan shorts, and straw sandals. The dungeons were cold and damp—wearing such clothes could not be a fun experience in such a place.

Jou knew this person. This was Mako, a fisherman who often came into port along the river. He was unaware of Jou's true identity, counting him as one of the few friends Jou had outside the wall. Sometimes when Jou had sneaked out of the palace he'd meet with Mako; it had been the fisherman who had taught him how to swim.

To Mako's left was a mint-haired young teenager, wearing a shirt that was an eclectic mix of pink with black stripes and pale colored pants; a short, white cloak sat on his shoulders, and his straight hair hung to his shoulders. To the right of this individual was a blue-haired young man with glasses, distinctly shorter than everyone else. On Mako's right was a short man with long brown hair, the bangs oddly colored lavender; he was wearing a long green jacket with a yellow tunic underneath it, khaki pants tucked into ankle-high boots.

Realizing he was being watched and after seeing the light on the wall, Mako turned. A grin split his features as he processed who was peering at him. "Jousef, my friend, it has been so long since I saw you last!" he said eagerly. "We were worried!"

It seemed that Mako had not been placed under a gag spell, for he had just used his full name. There was not a gag spell on any of the others, for he did not see anyone stiffen with trepidation when Jou's name had been mentioned.

"So was I, friend. As the prince, I say you're all pardoned from whatever bogus excuse Jean Claude had for putting you here," Jou said with a wide smile, unlocking the door. "Out with you."

Weevil and the brown-haired boy—Rex, if Jou was not much mistaken—were the first to hurry out the door. They had been messengers for the former king. While Rex grudgingly liked Jou, Weevil flat-out disliked him. The feelings were mutual. Neither of them knew Jou's true identity, as there had been no time to formally introduce himself as the prince.

The last individual was someone Jou was not familiar with. "Who's this?" he asked Mako, gesturing to the newcomer.

"His name is Espa. He's a clairvoyant who's also training to be a healer," said Mako. "He has four younger brothers, but they were placed in different parts of the dungeon. What did you mean by you're the prince?"

"Long story behind that one. Do you know if anyone else was thrown down here with you?" Jou asked.

Mako glanced to the others, all of whom shrugged. "I am afraid not, old friend. We're a lot more isolated down here than you realize. A few days ago we heard that the former captain of the guard had been put down here—the guards gossip all the time—but we are not sure where."

Valon perked up at that bit of news. "Is 'e alive?" he asked urgently.

Rex answered with a clouded expression. "I heard he was a couple days ago, but it's hard to keep track of things. We barely know what day it is."

"Did you happen to overhear where they were keeping him? The captain," Jou clarified when Rex shot him a baffled look.

This time it was Weevil who answered. "West passage," he said almost lazily. "By the entrance into the castle. I heard that's where they kept the more important prisoners, though we're just as important don't you think? We should be up front to be recognized—"

"Shut up," Jou groaned, smacking the back of Weevil's head. He then looked over to his friends and said, "Up ahead there's a common room. Wait for me there. I've got to get these guys to safety."

Once Valon, Rishid, and Marik had disappeared from view, Jou then turned to Mako and the others. "I'm going to show you where to go. You've got to stay put, but we'll be back soon. Are there any other guards down here?"

"No," said Mako promptly. "All the other guards were called away this morning to help with something going on in the castle. I heard them complaining about it when they passed by us earlier."

As Jou led them back to the cell with the passage in it, he listened as the former prisoners told him how they had come to be in the dungeon. Weevil's and Rex's stories were almost the same, in that Jean Claude had imprisoned them simply because they could not be trusted to stay free.

Mako had walked in on Jean Claude gloating about disposing of the former prince quite by accident, when he had entered the throne room to renew his annual permit to sell fish in the markets. When it had become obvious Mako could not be bought, he too had been imprisoned.

Espa and his brothers, however, had been kidnapped from a neighboring village. With the threat of harm coming to his family, Espa had been forced into caring for Princess Shizuka in the tower—something that had instantly piqued Jou's interest. He waited until he had shown them the cell with the passage in it before he called Espa aside. "How is Shizuka faring?" he asked, hoping desperately for good news.

"I'm really not supposed to discuss it with anyone but her kin—"

"I'm her older brother," said Jou. At Espa's doubtful look he scowled. "I'm not lying."

"Prove it."

"Shizuka has a birthmark in the shape of a dove on her left shoulder. That's why her name means 'peaceful one' in the old language," Jou said promptly.

Espa instantly relaxed. "All right, that's proof enough for me. She said the exact same thing when I asked her about it."

The shorter boy assumed a grim expression. "I had a friend of mine in my village that had the same illness your sister had, but he died before he turned thirty. I have some knowledge of how to keep such a terrible condition at bay, but it's still worsening."

"How is she?" he asked anxiously. "I haven't gotten any specific news on her in months."

"Her sight's been almost completely obliterated. You can't even touch her now without nearly breaking one of her bones. I was with her until two days ago, but she was alive then," he said. "I've told those idiots to take her out of that drafty tower and place her back in the castle, but they won't listen. They really need to move _both_ of the women out of that tower, especially because of the handmaiden's condition. She won't be able to help your sister for much longer."

Jou's heart sank at the news. Shizuka's bones had grown more and more brittle as time had gone on, and moving was sheer torture for his sister after a certain point. She had been confined to her bed after taking a step one day and snapping her ankle. Though there had been steps to curb it, no one as of yet had been able to fully get rid of the malady. His sister had not yet reached the permanent stage of the disease. There was time to heal and restore her to a healthy young woman—if he reached her in time.

He thanked Espa quietly, promising to find Espa's younger brothers, then he instructed the four of them to remain in the cell until his return (something both Rex and Weevil loudly objected to). He did not watch the door close as he moved down the hall and toward the common area.

* * *

><p>While Jou had hung back to discuss his sister with Espa, Valon had surged ahead of even Rishid and Marik. He exercised caution as he came to a large common area in the dungeon, briefly pausing to make sure he did not walk headlong into a trap. He waited impatiently until the others caught up to him. "Jou, where?"<p>

Jou, who was bringing up the rear, tossed him a set of keys and pointed to Valon's left. "That way. Go."

Valon did not even wait for Jou to finish speaking, already disappearing from view. Jou looked at the two Enterrans. "Both of you take a passageway. Free anyone you encounter and make sure they meet in this room," he ordered, and then he followed after Valon. The brown haired man had already gone halfway down the hallway, barely stopping to check inside the cells.

"Give me the keys if you're not going to look!" Jou called in a low voice.

Valon turned and tossed the keyring back to the other man, and Jou started looking through the cells far more thoroughly; there was not anyone in the cells he passed. It seemed Jean Claude had mostly banished everyone who posed a threat—he'd had to check with Rishid and Marik to see if they had found anyone.

It was not until Jou rounded the corner and the castle entrance came to view when he peered into a cell and saw a figure with a hood over their head. There was only one reason that someone would have their identity obscured in such a manner—they were someone easily recognized.

Jou unlocked the door and hurried into the cell. At the sound of the door opening the slender figure jerked, an angry but muffled shout rising; when Jou approached, several frustrated kicks were directed at Jou's shins and he backed away. The prisoner's arms had been chained over their head, preventing them from moving too far, but he did not want to be in range of those kicks.

"It's me, Tristan," said Jou with mild exasperation, reaching down to yank the hood away.

The other young man—no older than Jou, sporting brown hair and hazel eyes—stared up at him with a disbelieving expression. His words were lost behind the gag over his mouth, but Jou recognized the reverently spoken curse. He kneeled and pulled the gag down before he started working on the manacles.

"He told me you were dead," Tristan said hoarsely, one of his now-free arms dropping to his side. "He even showed me your sword to prove he was telling the truth."

"Did you believe him?" asked Jou with raised eyebrows.

Tristan shook his head, a small smirk quirking his lips. "Of course not," he replied with a broadening grin. "You're too stupid to stay dead."

"If you didn't look like crap I'd hit you."

"Aw, going soft on me?"

"Hardly. You'd just whine about me hitting a man while he's down."

"Actually, I'd make some smart-aleck comment about the timing of your arrival—like 'you're late'."

Jou paused at that, his smile disappearing instantly. "You warned me not to go, and you were right."

Tristan rolled his shoulders, beginning to massage his wrists. "Notice how hard I tried to stop you. We'll just call this a favor—next time there's a dangerous epic quest to go on, leave it to me, huh?"

Jou laughed and held a hand out, and Tristan clasped it firmly before hauling himself to his feet. He did not release Jou, however, and instead pulled him into a brief hug. "I'm really glad you're not dead."

There was a small pause, and then Jou and Tristan parted awkwardly. "Promise I won't mention the girly hug if you won't," said Jou gruffly.

"You got it." Tristan hissed as he wobbled uncertainly on his feet. "I'm out of shape. Jean Claude's been keeping me here in the dungeon, trying to get me to talk about the secrets of the kingdom or how the coronation works. I wouldn't tell him anything," he said somewhat proudly. "Unfortunately, he took that a signal that I wanted to be thrown into a cell without any range of movement."

"Did you manage to wound him?" asked Jou hopefully.

Tristan looked regretful at the question. "I wish. He came into the throne room one morning, as bold as you please, and asked if I would be oh-so-kind to get off his throne. I was not so happy to see him, so when he came at me with a sword I naturally fought back. That was when I saw your sword, and when I let my guard down…I don't know how else to describe it, man. One minute I was in the throne room, the next—"

"You were in the dungeon, without any memory of what happened. That's a recurring issue circling this kingdom as of late," said Jou tiredly.

"I wish I wasn't so shaky!" Tristan burst out angrily, trying to regain his balance. "I haven't been able to walk since I got thrown down here."

"Take a few moments to regain your feet. I understand—this is the first full day I've been human," Jou replied sympathetically. At Tristan's confused look he said, "There's a longer explanation coming, but simply put I've been a dragon for the past few months."

Tristan paused, looking briefly surprised before sighing. "Now why couldn't I have been cursed as a dragon while you had to stay in the dungeon cell?" he lamented.

* * *

><p>Valon was not far ahead of Jou, though he had slowed once he realized that he was barely able to see into the next few cells. He saw Jou vanish into one and he nearly doubled back to see who he'd found, but when he heard an unfamiliar voice come from inside the cell he turned around and continued on his way.<p>

He arrived at the last cell in the block and paused, peering in hopefully. "Raph?"

At first he did not get an answer, but as his vision adjusted he spotted something moving in a corner and a familiar outline. His breath came in a sharp gasp. He had found Raphael.

Valon turned his attention to the keyhole, but cursed when he remembered that Jou still had the keys. Without another word he brought his leg up and kicked as hard as he could along the lock. A few more powerful kicks, followed by one attempt to break the door down with his body, caused the door to give way with an ear-splitting _crack_. Valon winced at that—so much for stealth.

He moved into the cell without any further thought, his first concern for the older man. He pulled off the sackcloth on the man's head, blond hair coming into view almost instantly. Raphael's chin was resting on his chest, and even in the dark Valon was alarmed by the almost alabaster hue his older friend's face was. Raphael's eyes were closed, his breathing just a shallow wheeze.

"Raph?" Valon asked, using the back of his hand to tap Raphael's cheek gently. "C'mon, fella, wake up."

Raphael's eyes slid open weakly, looking at his rescuer. It was quite apparent, however, that while he was semi-conscious the tough man had no idea what was going on around him; the gaze being directed at Valon was going through him, not focused on him.

"Give me jus' a bit, Raph. I'll be righ' back," he promised, rising to his feet.

He half-jogged out of the cell to return to the one Jou was in. He saw the other young man soon enough with someone he did not recognize, but he paid no attention and instead ordered sharply, "Give me the keys."

Without asking Jou tossed the keyring back to Valon, who then turned on his heel and sprinted out of the cell and back into the one Raphael was in. He reached the strong man's side in seconds and started undoing the cuffs. At least no one had re-opened the injuries inflicted by the whip, though Valon felt guilt when he saw the inflamed and infected cuts on the brawny arms.

As he freed Raphael's right arm his body slumped at an angle, and when it did the younger man caught sight of the back of Raphael's neck. A chill of horror ran down his spine when he saw the blue-purple bruise that had blossomed across Raphael's neck, like a grotesque spiderweb. A cursory glance down the back of Raphael's shirt revealed that his entire back was one giant bruise; someone must have slammed Raphael into a wall, and because of that foul potion the bruise had grown unchecked.

No wonder his oldest friend was so dazed—not all wounds bled on the outside.

It took him only moments to free Raphael's arms, and Valon was pleased to note that the older man was starting to revive. "Let's get you taken care of," he said grimly, pulling out the potion vials.

The moment his eyes went to the vials Raphael weakly shook his head, attempting to turn his head away. "No," he mumbled, his voice thick with exhaustion and confusion. "Don' wan' it."

Valon instead forced the first bottle into his friend's hand. "I know, Jean Claude was a git 'n' gave you a barmy potion, but you've got t' take this one or you're not gonna make it."

When Raphael continued to stare blankly at him Valon gripped his shoulders and locked eyes with him. "Look, you're my best friend 'n' all, but if you don' take the stupid potion I'll kick your big dumb arse across the room!"

The older blond blinked once or twice, processing the words for a few seconds, and then Valon saw a spark of recognition light Raphael's eyes and he attempted to straighten up. "Valon?" he asked, and this time his voice was sharper than before.

Valon grinned, pleased that Raphael was finally coming out of the dazed state he'd been in. "Who'd you think it was, the Grim Reaper?" he teased. "Now tha' we've established you're not hallucinatin', mind takin' the potentially gross tastin' potions now?"

Raphael did not seem to hear him. "You aren't supposed to be here," he said with some consternation. "It's not safe."

"Drink this," Valon ordered impatiently, shoving the green potion bottle into Raphael's hands. "N' yeah, I figured tha' somethin's goin' on once I found Alister."

Raphael had finished the first bottle with a quick gulp and a grimace, but at Valon's comment he stiffened. "You…found him?" he asked slowly, his expression unreadable.

Valon pressed his lips together and looked away. As much as he wanted to tell Raphael that their red-haired comrade yet lived, Ryou and Alister both had advised him against it; their sole advantage lay in keeping Alister's whereabouts in the dark.

The older man looked away, taking Valon's silence as an answer. "I see," he said, and Valon caught both resignation and grief in the quiet sentence.

"Why didn' you fellas jus' come back to the forest anyways? Alister wouldn' 'ave ended up the way 'e did if you'd come home!" he burst out angrily, and his eldest friend started at the shift in tones. "Why the 'eck would you choose t' stay 'ere? You hate castle life, Raph, and yet…gettin' yourself 'urt, tangled up in this nonsense with tha' Jean Claude git. It's downright stupid! I know, I know," he added impatiently, not allowing the blond speak. "Kid sister in trouble, you couldn' ignore it. I know, but I wish for once you'd been a bit more selfish 'n' came back 'ome!"

There was a brief pause, during which Raphael took the second potion. Valon did not trust himself to talk, though his breathing was heavy and came in angry huffs. It was not until Valon saw the cuts healing in Raphael's arms when the older man finally spoke.

"I'm starting to wish the same thing," he said heavily, catching the teenager off guard by how blunt he sounded. "If I'd known in advance, I would have just left with the others. This was more trouble than it was worth, and because of my reckless decision she's been put in danger and Alister's dead."

Valon did not have to ask who "she" was, but he latched onto the second half of the sentence. "Tha' reminds me," he said roughly. "Why didn' you tell me you were in the forest? If you'd jus' told me t' stay away I would've, _you _know I would've!"

"I didn't want to lie to you!" Raphael thundered, looking both frustrated and guilty. "I wanted to warn you that it wasn't safe to be around us. But Gurimo found you first, and almost immediately after we got you away from him Jean Claude showed up. I knew Gurimo would only want to cause you even more harm by lying. I took advantage of the fact you were out cold. It was not safe for you to be around us at all—I just didn't want one more person I cared about getting killed."

There was a pause, and then Valon felt the anger die out of him. The other man's intentions had been genuine and made with Valon's safety in mind. He was still resentful over what had transpired, but Raphael had not abandoned him and neither had Alister.

"At least you're still alive. It was bad enough findin' Alister…I didn' wanna think I'd lost both of my chums," he declared gruffly, looking away.

After a moment of hesitation a large hand rested gently on the boy's shoulder with a reassuring grip. The tension eased out of Valon's shoulders at the touch. Raphael did not say anything, but at this point he did not need to—the gesture was enough for the teenager.

"I asked you earlier but you didn't answer. How did you get here without anyone seeing you?" Raphael asked after a beat of silence.

Valon did not get to reply. A new voice, sounding somewhat sheepish at intruding on the conversation, answered Raphael instead.

"That's because he talked to me."

* * *

><p>When Valon had gotten the keys from him, Jou had known what it had meant. After briefly explaining to Tristan who Valon was, he helped the steward back down the hall and into the common area. Marik and Rishid had waited patiently for his return, having only found ten others in the dungeon; five of them had been former guards, one an elderly butler who had waited on the king, and the remaining four identified as Espa's imprisoned younger brothers.<p>

Leaving the steward in the care of the two Enterrans, Jou had then returned down the hall to check on Valon and the man he had left in charge of the guards. He had come into the last cell while Valon and Raphael had been talking, though he had waited until the conversation had turned in his direction before speaking. Raphael looked awfully pale and haggard, though color was washing back into his features and his gaze was alert. He was recovering, at least.

Almost immediately after Jou had spoken, Raphael froze, his face going ashen as his eyes rounded. When his sharp gaze found Jou standing at the back of the cell he half rose, stunned into silence for several long seconds.

"You're alive?" Raphael asked at last. Valon had finally helped the older man to his feet once he realized his companion had no intention of sitting down any longer. "Where have you been?"

Jou flushed and looked away awkwardly. "Yeah, um. About that. Don't suppose you remember the black dragon you used catapults on?"

A look of mortified horror crossed the older man's features, but all he managed was a faint, "Oh."

"How are you holding up? Are you all right?" Jou asked then.

"I'm getting there," Raphael replied. He did not look anywhere near as shaky as he had been when Valon had come into the cell, and thanks to Ryou's potions he was nearly himself again. If he could banish the abnormal weakness still permeating his body, he'd be inclined to say that all was well.

"You'll feel better once you've got this last one in. Looks like you're drinkin' blood," Valon added with disgust, handing the flask to his older friend. A similar look crossed Raphael's features at the sight of the crimson liquid, but he still drank the last one. He stoppered the empty flask with a shudder.

"I'm sorry about this," Jou apologized, catching their attention. He felt like he had been apologizing all day, but it still did not take out the genuine note of sorrow out of his voice. "I should have just let you go home, Raphael."

"It was a two-way decision," Raphael replied evenly. "You asked me to stay, but I was the one who chose to remain here. I'll accept your apology if you accept mine, for allowing Jean Claude to take the kingdom."

"Fair enough," said Jou, relaxing with a small smile. "Can you travel?"

"Definitely."

"Great, then let's get out of here. Never did like the dungeons much, and I can say you don't enjoy them either."

"Wait a moment," said the other blond, and when Jou turned it was to find Raphael rummaging in a small crevice in the cell wall. He grasped something in his hand before holding it to Jou. Even with as little light that he had, Jou still recognized the royal purple bag.

"Princess Mai was down here a few days before," the taller man explained. "She had her memory altered again, but she asked me to hide the gem inside this cell in case something went wrong. She had some sort of plan in place, but I don't know what it was," he finished.

Jou flinched at that. Mai must have known her memory would be erased again, so she had left behind the memory gem in the hopes that the right person would give it to her and restore her memory. That sounded like the Mai he knew, not like the simpering woman he'd seen when Sivya had spied on her in the castle.

"Thanks. I'll make sure this gets to her," Jou said gruffly, and then he turned out of the cell. "Come on. We've still got work to do."

* * *

><p>When they returned to the entrance of the secret passage, there were a lot more people than the original four who had traveled it. At length, it was decided that Tristan and Jou would take the lead, with the former prisoners sandwiched between them; Rishid and Marik took up the absolute rear, while Valon and Raphael remained in front of the two Enterrans.<p>

"So we're using the tunnels, then?" asked Tristan as they descended down the narrow staircase once again. "I figured that's how you'd gotten in without attracting attention."

"'e also wore this really girly dress. Legs wen' up a mile high, 'n' I think 'e even got someone to whistle at him," called Valon from the rear, grinning shamelessly when Jou turned and shook a fist at him.

"I'll come back there," Jou threatened.

Valon in turn gave him a very lazy and much pointed yawn. Marik in spite of himself snorted in amusement, and the action called Valon's attention to him. "Did Ishtar do anythin'?" the teenager asked then.

Marik's features darkened the same time Raphael's did. "No," replied the Enterran flatly. "He's still keeping quiet. I didn't know he existed until Rishid and Ishizu told me about him," he added when he noticed Raphael, correctly interpreting the other man's stormy gaze.

Raphael's mouth tightened, but he also glanced to Rishid. "So you found your family, then?"

"Yes, though Mai helped. She'll never let me hear the end of it when I see her next," said Marik gloomily. His eyes were alight, however, and so Raphael knew Marik was not entirely distressed about who had found his family.

Jou paused at a smaller tunnel to his right, looking over his shoulder at the servants behind him. "This lets out into a secret chamber adjacent to the kitchen. No one looks in there, so if any of you want to sit the upcoming battle out you can remain there. I won't forget and let you all out once the dust settles. I also won't think any less of you if you choose to go there."

He had been looking at Tristan pointedly, hoping that his friend would take him up on his offer, but Tristan remained steadfastly where he was. Instead nearly the entire group moved toward the stepladder; the loyal guards who had been in the dungeon, as much as they wished to join the fight, also knew their strength. Not one of them was up to the battle to come, as they had not been able to move in months.

When the last of the servants and prisoners had been helped into the room above and the passage way immersed in near darkness once again, Jou looked to Tristan with a scowl. "You were supposed to go with them, you idiot."

"Hardly," Tristan sniffed, sounding disdainful of the thought. "I have a score to settle with that imposter."

Jou shook his head ruefully. He had wanted his friend to have time to recover, but it seemed that Jou's return and the promise of avenging himself on Jean Claude had bolstered Tristan's weakened appearance. "Fine," he said with a sigh. "Just don't make me regret letting you come with me."

It was right around then when Marik's head felt as if it had split open and he sank without a sound.

**_Well hello, Marik. It's about time you arrived._**

Marik grit his teeth and tried to push Ishtar out of his thoughts. In retaliation came an even stronger wave of pressure and pain and he whimpered, finally going to his knees.

**_It's not so easy to be rid of me, wee lamb. I'm here to discuss a small problem I have. You see, here you are in the castle and going about your business. I've held up my end of the bargain, but I've yet to see your side fulfilled. Tell me, now: where are the Shadow Items?_**

Concerned voices converged around him, the sounds cresting into another agonizing throbbing in his skull. He wished they'd stop talking, but he could not banish either the presence in his mind or the sounds around him and instead he focused on not passing out. His watering eyes caught Rishid's, but he held up a hand. If push came to shove he'd rely on Rishid to help push Ishtar back, but right now this was between him and the entity he had created.

_Get…out…_he growled at last. _We did bring the wretched things._

**_Why can I not sense them, then?_**

Marik fought to conjure up the memory of Ryou in the passage, showing him the satchel that currently hid Yugi, Yami, and Bakura from sight. The memory was snatched away from him as it started playing back in fragmented, unconnected portions.

_Satisfied?_ Marik asked sarcastically.

**_I'd be a lot happier if you came with me. How about it, Little Marik? Feel like coming with me into the darkness?_**

Feeling more than a little vindictive, Marik forced a memory of Rishid to the front of his thoughts, focusing especially hard on the scars on the man's features. A venomous hiss, followed by the tension easing out of his head, proved that Marik's little maneuver had worked—Ishtar was leaving.

**_You won't always have _****that man_ around to defend you. When that time comes, my dear counterpart, you will be mine._**

As suddenly as it had come the pain vanished and Marik slumped dizzily, nearly falling face first before Rishid caught him. Unlike last time, the pain was not enough to nauseate Marik, but his stomach still rolled in unpleasant waves. "It's okay," he assured them when he opened his eyes. "He was just chatting."

The term had been light, designed to lessen the impact of Ishtar taking control from him for the second time, but Marik still felt a burning anger roiling inside of him. He despised having his freedom taken from him in such a manner, and he would be damned if he would allow it to happen again.

Jou frowned. "About what?"

"The thing Ryou brought in the bag," said Marik, already starting to feel better. "He couldn't sense them. He wanted to make sure we brought them. I think he's waiting for us to move first."

Jou nodded. "Right, then we'd better not keep him or the others waiting. Let's go."

Tristan looked more than unsettled by recent events, as did Raphael, but Jou motioned them to his side and as they started walking the prince began explaining Marik's connection to Ishtar in an undertone. Rishid hovered next to Marik, ready to keep his younger brother standing if necessary, but as they advanced Marik felt more and more like himself. It had not been so bad this time.

Ryou was still on guard and waved at them cheerfully when he saw them, and after reporting that there had been no disturbances from above he led the way back up into the guardhouse. He had been alarmed by the news that Ishtar had communicated with them, but like Marik he too felt that Ishtar was conserving his energy for what was to come—it would not be easy subduing two Shadow Masters, both of whom were innately connected to their respective Items.

More than one person was relieved to see Raphael exit out of the tunnels. They had armed themselves with what they could; Gurimo had confiscated their weapons and most of their armor, but they had managed to squirrel away some pieces of armor and a few other items.

One of them was Raphael's sword, and that had been hidden inside a panel near the fireplace. Corda regretfully informed the much taller man that they had not been able to save the armor, but Raphael was secretly pleased. It had never fit him properly, as it had belonged to the castle, and he had been taught how to wield a sword without using heavy chainmail or the like long before his time at the castle.

Valon had not agreed with Raphael's decision to go without armor, given how close to death his eldest companion had been earlier, but he had no choice in the matter. "Still wish 'e'd at least wear chainmail," he grumbled to Marik.

Marik glanced at him, his head pounding. Ishtar was skulking in the back of his mind, but since Rishid was standing next to him Ishtar had done nothing so far. "Well then tell him as such," he said, somewhat irritable.

Valon did not have time to comment, because by then Jou had come over to them and had motioned to the passage. "We've gotta sneak into the castle through the armory," he explained. "You first, Valon."

The Aurosian groaned at the thought of more narrow tunnels but complied, vanishing reluctantly down into the passage. One by one, the guards followed after Valon; there was a brief moment of trepidation from the men in the house, fearful of activating Ishtar's curse, but thankfully nothing happened. By the time Jou came down there were at least thirty five men in the tunnel, waiting patiently.

The trek to the armory was a lot shorter than they expected, as they arrived at the entrance to the room within three minutes. Jou and Tristan moved up the stairs first, quietly passing down swords, spears, and armor; with the exception of the Enterrans, Valon, and Raphael, every one of the guards quickly but silently pulled on the armor and armed themselves.

While Tristan managed to find a suit of armor that would allow him to move quickly and shield him, Jou did not armor himself. Like Raphael, he had chosen to go in with nothing but his sword. His mother had given it to him for his seventh birthday, right before he had been taken. It had been forged from the volcanic rock that had surrounded him at the mountain, the blade the same shade that his scales as a dragon had been. It was light but durable, stronger than it appeared to be. Sometimes he swore it glowed with an inner fire when he used it for an extended period of time.

Armoring himself would only mean he would be slower than everyone else, he knew. He had trained extensively whilst wearing it, but he was still clumsy and unable to move as fast as he would like. Besides, he thought wryly, Mai despised what she called the "knight in shining armor routine". She would kill him if he rescued her in a full suit of armor.

Once everyone had suited up and had been armed, Jou motioned for them to enter the room one at a time. He peered outside the door, his eyes taking in the familiar sights of the castle interior; from the direction of the throne room came music, and it took him only seconds to realize what it meant.

"Okay, start lining up on the walls. Keep out of sight," he ordered quietly. Marik was the last one through the room, and after closing the door the group began cautiously moving through the castle, trying to stay as silent as they could and hoping they were not too late.

* * *

><p>"It's going to happen," Mai whispered under her breath, already excited. Miho could understand the enthusiasm behind Mai's behavior, but she also noticed that her gaze seemed to be sweeping the crowd of nobles beyond them as if she was searching for someone. Miho wished her luck on that, for there were easily over one hundred nobles in the room. "Oh goodness, this is really going to happen."<p>

Miho wondered at that comment, but noticed Jean Claude at the throne waving them over. She swallowed nervously as the music started and leaned to gather the hem of Mai's wedding gown. "We had best be going."

Mai let out an impatient sound before the princess turned and smiled. "Let's be off, then, Miho," she said, and they advanced into the room.

Heads already began turning, and as they cleared the doors two guards shut them, quietly bolting them into place to avoid anyone disturbing the wedding. Before the doors closed, however, Miho caught sight of someone turning the corner and she paused. Who was that? Mai had kept going forward, however, and Miho had to keep moving.

Jean Claude beamed at their approach, not seeming to notice the hesitation in the procession. As Mai moved across from Jean Claude at the throne Miho made to slip away, but a stern look from Jean Claude halted her.

The aging priest, who had been summoned earlier that day, waited until the music died before he began to speak. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…"

* * *

><p>"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Jou snarled, pushing on the door with all his weight. "Why did they lock the doors?"<p>

"Gee, it couldn't be because there's a wedding going on inside," Tristan retorted sarcastically. He and the others had tried to help push open the doors, but they were too thick to budge and with the bolts in place entry was all but impossible.

Jou leaned back to study the door. He had spotted Miho going into the room right before the doors had closed, and he knew she had seen him. He could hope that she would find a way to get them inside, but by then it would be too late—Mai would be married and the defensive spell would activate.

"Come on, think. The tunnels don't lead into the throne room, the windows are outside and reinforced…" Jou muttered, his thoughts racing a mile a minute.

He could hear the voice of the priest faintly through the door and he growled, his fist slamming into the wall. He looked up to the heavens and said angrily, "We could use some help right about now!"

Without any sort of warning his wrist ignited with hot fire. The obsidian pendant glowed like a charcoal, heat rising from inside the dragon pendant—Yami's enchantment was finally activating.

Jou yelped in surprise, stifling his curse as he fought to pull the leather strap off his wrist. He successfully extricated the pendant, but found that he could not hold onto the pendant for long and tossed it with some fury against the door. Stupid pendant, his wrist was now badly burned because of—

The pendant shattered and the world exploded in a cacophony of lightning and fire.

* * *

><p>"I do," Jean Claude declared proudly, gazing fondly at Mai.<p>

They had been nearing the end of the wedding vows when the smell of electricity and smoke began filtering through the room, an unseen charge and pressure beginning to rise. Jean Claude frowned but motioned for the priest to continue. It was not a fire, that was for certain—someone would have raised the alarm. But then what was going on?

"And do you, Princess Mai of Thystia, take Jean Claude to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to cherish for all your days?" the priest asked, his mild gaze sharpening just a bit as his eyes landed on Mai. Jean Claude noted that Miho nearly moved to speak out but then flinched and looked away when she saw him looking at her. Good.

Before Mai could even speak, a draconic roar broke the reverent silence and caused the entire room to vibrate with the creature's fury.

Jean Claude's hands went to his sword, drawing it swiftly as he ushered the beautiful woman behind him. He should have made Ishtar do more than he had to keep that idiotic Jousef away! How had that boy gotten to Hermos without any sort of alarm being set off? Surely someone would have seen a huge hulking beast descending from the sky, especially in _broad daylight_—

A blow from beyond the throne room entrance forced the thick oak doors open, smoke hurtling into the room and rapidly taking shape. Wind followed after it, and with a powerful gust nearly three quarters of the benches were overturned. No one was immediately hurt, but there was more than one pained cry.

The nobles, both sitting and lying on the floor, were paralyzed with fear, watching as red-tinted lightning began racing through the aisles in tall pillars. The smoke rose to the balcony above the throne room, and there it took shape—claws came into view, teeth forming at the same time that scales shaped its form, and gleaming, proud ruby eyes began looking at the people below them.

It eyed them all haughtily for one moment longer before it roared again, a sound that deafened all who heard it and caused more than one person to sink to their knees. From within the smoke came a voice that echoed like thunder.

_DISPULSO!_

A powerful blast of gold and red lightning erupted from the dragon, aimed at the ceiling. Those in the throne room shrieked in alarm as the blast came into contact with a previously invisible barrier, one that crackled with menacing green lightning. Sparks danced from the two forces of magic, but the dragon's blast won out.

With the sound of shattering glass every spell fueled by the orichalcum broke. From within Jean Claude's pendant came the sound of a crack, and the man looked down in horror as the amulet split clean in half, the only thing holding it together being the gold surrounding the gem.

The dragon then took wing over the room, flying low enough to frighten all beneath it before flying through the nearest glass window. Glass shards rained down on the others beneath them, and Jean Claude threw up his cloak to shield the woman at his side. Once outside, the beast flew straight for the nearest wall and threw itself with one final cry against the only thing preventing magic from entering the castle: the barrier formed by Shadow magic. It vanished, but as it disappeared so did the magic-fueled shield.

In the immediate aftermath of the dragon's entrance there was no sound, everyone stunned into complete silence by what had happened. Heavy, dense smoke still hung in the air and the overpowering smell of lightning stifled the room; the flowers had been ravaged by the gusting wind, leaving nothing but petals in the room. In different parts of the room, the guests were shakily rising to their feet.

It was right around then when a voice, half choked by smoke, broke the silence.

"Dammit, Yami, you could have _killed _us with that, you miserable little pyronut!" a young man coughed out. "That's it! I'm never letting you give me a gift again! _Never again! _I was _wearing _that thing and it could have _exploded_? I was almost blown into bits, Yami you deranged lunatic!"

Several confused looks were exchanged as an affronted buzz rose through the hall, many turning their attention to the door. Mai peered out from under Jean Claude's cloak, violet eyes wide and startled, and Miho's eyes instantly lit up with joy.

Jean Claude, on the other hand, turned pale with dread.

The smoke suddenly dispersed to bring a young man with shaggy blond hair and brown eyes into view. While the man was still coughing, he was already standing tall as he realized that more than one pair of eyes was upon him; those closest to the doorway could see that this young man was accompanied by thirty or so armed guards behind him.

As the last of the smoke vanished from sight, Jou eyed the room with the same amount of affronted pride that the dragon had. There was a steely, flinty edge to his gaze, and as it landed on Jean Claude it shifted into white-hot fury.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen," Jou announced, his voice buoyant but hard, "I suppose you're wondering about what the absolute _hell_ is going on here. Don't worry, I have no intentions of getting you involved. With the exception of that sniveling, pathetic excuse of a human named Jean Claude, everyone needs to leave. This is the _real_ Prince of Hermos talking to you. I'm giving you five minutes to get out of this room. If you stay, I'm throwing you in the dungeon for being morons."

At that, Jou sidestepped the door and the others behind him followed suit, parting to expose the doorway. The bewildered, smoke covered, and downright frightened nobles instantly moved as one mass out of the throne room. Within seconds, the only ones remaining were Miho, Jean Claude, the priest, and Mai.

From two side doors of the room Jean Claude's own men were beginning to file in. Gurimo had snuck out once the dragon had entered and had rallied his men, and from behind Jou he heard his own allies entering the room in a fan. The nobles had gone by then—now, it was a stalemate between the two sides.

Jou waited only a moment before his gaze went directly to the priest, who instantly quailed underneath his flinty glare. "I'm not much for formalities. The wedding's off."


	38. Sacrifice

_Okay, not even going to try and sugarcoat it, you're going to hate me after you read this chapter. _

_"What, Kohaku? Why would we ever -?"_

_Ohhhh you will. Trust me, you will._

_(HUGE WARNING BECAUSE SOMETHING MAJORLY TRAUMATIC HAPPENS BE VERY AWARE THAT SOMETHING BAD IS GOING TO HAPPEN)_

_There's also a warning here: a rather gruesome injury happens in this chapter, and while it's not too graphic...well, just be ready for it. I know, I know, I'm not being very happy here, but...brace yourselves. _

_I mean it. **Brace yourselves.**  
><em>

_A huge shout out goes to everyone reading this story. Whether you leave me reviews or just simply click on the story to read it, I really appreciate your support. Thanks for reading, everybody!_

* * *

><p>It was the invisible and gentle pressure settling on her shoulders that first brought Elya to attention.<p>

She had woken up that morning feeling as if something beyond her tower prison had happened. She could not explain what was different, only that something about her current situation had finally started to change. Whether this change was for good or for worse had yet to be determined.

When the deafening roar of the dragon sounded from within the castle, she was already flying to her feet. The dress she had been mending fell from her lap, crumpling into a pool of silk at her feet, and the world for a moment spun far too fast. She steadied herself, one hand on the back of the chair and the other resting on the barely visible curve of her stomach, before finally going to the window.

Elya arrived at the same time that the explosion came from the outer wall. She did not see what had happened, for the moment she had gotten to the window the pressure fully crashed on her shoulders. Green light erupted around her neck and the room darkened as the magic sparked and danced about her neck. With a startled cry she sank to her knees, her hands catching the windowsill in a desperate effort not to hit the floor. She could not afford another round of that spell, she thought with panic. The last time had been far too close, she had nearly lost—

And then, as suddenly as it had begun, everything stopped.

Elya waited, silent and frightened as she counted down the moments until the gag spell activated. It was not until a few uneventful minutes had passed when she realized that the pressure from the enchantment was gone.

Could it be…?

She hesitated, looking out over the courtyard from the window. Nothing seemed different, but there was no denying that the pressure was gone. Was it safe?

There would be no way of knowing without testing her apparent freedom. She dared not yell from the window, not yet; there was no telling if anyone else had gone through what she had, and if there was a chance that help was coming she dared not jeopardize the attempt.

So she chose the simplest way to determine what had happened.

"Raphael," she said softly, instinctively cringing as she waited for the accompanying spike of painful electricity to hit.

But nothing happened. Somehow, the spell had been broken. She was free.

She felt the tears start to burn at the corner of her eyes, but she barely had time to revel in this newfound revelation. There was a sound from the room next to her and a thin voice, sleepy but frightened, called out, "What happened?"

Her relief and elation died as a new thought hit her. If the enchantment had lifted, it would not be because their captor had willingly chosen to end it. Something beyond Jean Claude's control had just happened, which meant that he would eventually come to them to take Shizuka.

"Elya?" The fright in the girl's voice was palpable. "Elya, are you all right?"

"I'm all right, Princess," Elya said at last, already starting to move. "I have something I need to do. Please forgive me if I don't enter right away."

Her first priority right now was to protect the sickly girl in the room next door. Jean Claude would come, there was no stopping that—but he would not take the princess without a fight.

* * *

><p>Jean Claude, to his credit, had recovered fairly fast after Jou's words had finished echoing around the empty throne room. There was already a confident smirk stretched across his features. "I hardly believe you have the authority to tell a prince what to do, boy," he sneered.<p>

"Cut the crap, Jean Claude. We're the only ones in the room. You don't have anyone here to impress," Jou barked, pointing at Jean Claude with his sword.

Jean Claude grinned at that, gesturing to the guards coming in behind him. "What do you call them? The peanut gallery?" he asked cheerfully. He then gestured to Mai, who was watching them both with wide eyes. "Is she not someone worth impressing? Maybe not to you, but I certainly appreciate a pretty woman. And besides, dear boy, they believe that I am the prince. Who would think some gutter trash could be noble? You certainly don't look the part. You need to seek counsel for whatever malady you suffer from."

Marik felt the irritation rise at the pompous air Jean Claude had adopted. They'd never get anywhere with this man's posing, and it seemed he would cut over Jou any chance he got; Jean Claude was trying to make Jou look as if he were an insane peasant, and that would not help an amnesiac Mai. An idea occurred to him, and after winking at Rishid he pushed his way to the front. He forced his mouth into a feral smile and moved in front of Jou. "Shut up, you little fool. You are wasting our time," he hissed.

His voice was not quite as warped as Ishtar's—it would never be—but Marik's actions had the desired effect. More than one person, Jean Claude included, recoiled from his approach, and the words died on the false prince's lips. Marik gave them a smug smirk and turned, giving Jou an encouraging nod as he passed.

Jou shot him a grateful grin before he sobered and stepped forward once again. "I bet you're expecting me to start this grand monologue about how you're evil and how I'm going to beat you and take back what's mine," he started. "Lucky for you, I'm not the heroic speech-giving type."

He lifted his sword, pointing it at Jean Claude. "There's no warlock to hide behind. There's no catching me off guard, there's no secret trick up your sleeve—this time, it's just you and me."

Jou's eyes moved to Mai, his jaws tightening. Even if she was pretending not to remember him right now, he knew that they had not parted on the best of terms. The woman's eyes were filled with a myriad of emotions—he could not gauge her reaction at seeing him. His heart ached before he forced it back; he could not afford to remember what had happened only days before, not when there was so much at stake.

"Mai," he said quietly. "I know you have no idea who I am or why I'm interrupting your wedding, but you need to get away from Jean Claude. Please, even if you don't know me or trust me…for your own safety, step away from him."

Mai blinked at him but said nothing.

Jean Claude pulled the woman to his side in what was supposed to be a protective gesture, but his current stance only made it look as if he was holding her captive. "Mai is safest by me," he declared. He glanced down at her before he pulled her closer to his chest. "Don't you fear, my love, I'll keep you from this mongrel," he said to her.

Gurimo motioned for the men beside him to move in front of Jean Claude, and within seconds Jean Claude's supporters had formed a solid wall between the two parties.

Jou growled, looking to Jean Claude with anger. "Oh, that's cute. You think they're going to stop me?" he asked. "News flash, I'm going to cut through them and come straight for you."

"Really?" asked Jean Claude dispassionately. "I invite you to do so, but while you're doing that I'm going to resume our wedding. My dear Princess has already said her 'I do's', so if I'm not much mistaken it's time to kiss my bride."

"That's a lie!" Miho snapped suddenly. She flinched as more than one surprised gaze swung to her, but the servant girl clearly had enough of what was happening around her. She jabbed a finger viciously at Jean Claude. "Miho knows that's a lie! Princess Mai did _not_ say it, the priest has not said 'man and wife'! She should not even consider marrying Jean Claude! He is not—!"

"Be silent, you wretched girl!" Jean Claude snapped, and he backhanded the girl with a vicious sweep of his arm. The force of the blow knocked Miho to the floor and down the stairs, the young woman nearly landing at Jou's feet. She let out a pained whimper but did not rise from the ground. Mai gasped, though Jean Claude did not let her move from his side.

Tristan let out a snarl and tried to push past the men beside him, but Ryou held him back at the last second. "Save your energy for what's to come," he said quietly. "She's not dead, only stunned. You'll have your chance to avenge her later."

Jou bent down and carefully pulled Miho into his arms. A blue-black bruise was already rising on her cheek and she was dazed; her ponytail was half-falling. "You got bolder while I was gone," he remarked, his voice oddly gentle. "Don't worry. I'll get him for hitting you."

He carried Miho over to Jethro. "Get her out of here and to the dancing troupe in the courtyard, then come back," he ordered quietly. "They're set up to take care of the wounded."

Jethro was not even out of the throne room when Jou turned to glare at Jean Claude, fury already rising at Miho's treatment. "You won't enter a fight without your little cronies, but you can hit an unarmed woman easily enough. Wow, what a brave leader you are."

Jean Claude's eyes flashed as his jaw tightened, but he turned to Mai nonetheless. "Forgive me for the interruption, my love, but I believe the time has come to kiss my bride."

Mai's face cleared of confusion and alarm. She did not fight him or lean away from Jean Claude, instead placing her hands on his shoulders to face him. "There is something I've wanted to do for a while now," she admitted then.

Jou felt icy horror grip at him, his anger slipping away instantly. If Mai kissed him, if they were married, then the age-old enchantment would kill them. Jean Claude he didn't care about, the man could burn for all he cared, but Mai…_his Mai_…

"Mai, don't," he said sharply, his voice cracking from distress. He started to run as Jean Claude leaned toward the woman. "Mai, _no!_"

His foot caught in a fold of the rumpled carpet and he hit the floor face first. Outright panic set in as he registered the alarmed voices behind him and Jou shot to his feet, his terrified eyes swinging to where Jean Claude and Mai were—

And his gaze settled on them just as Mai drove her knee straight into Jean Claude's groin.

* * *

><p>To say that the past two days had been unbearable for Mai would be a <em>massive<em> understatement.

When Mai had regained her memories that night, the very first concern she had was keeping them. Almost the entirety of her plan had banked on what she knew of magic and on her acting skills. There had been an initial fear that she would succumb to Ishtar's spell, but when she had regained consciousness in her quarters she had realized her plan had worked.

She had worked doubly hard to ensure that Jean Claude's suspicions weren't aroused. It had been sheer torture to allow Jean Claude to fawn all over her, and even more so that she had to simper and hug his arm at all times. Partially it had been to set him at ease, but it had also been a ploy to keep Ishtar away; her so-called fiancé would not allow the Enterran remotely near her.

Mai had not wanted an elaborate wedding to happen at all, as she was well aware of the drawbacks of inviting so many nobles to see a false prince getting married. However, she had realized that if she refused Jean Claude she would be under constant watch and eventually it would be found out that her memories were still intact. It was the lesser of two evils.

She had taken a huge risk by making certain Sivya would arrange for Téa's dance troupe to arrive in Hermos, but after getting Jean Claude to agree Mai had distracted him from thinking about it by flattering him some more. She had even been able to send a messenger dove with an announcement of their wedding to Duke, though she could only hope Vivian had reached her cousin before the announcement did. From there it had simply become the waiting game. She did not know how or when Jou was coming, only that he and the others were.

The hardest part had been seeing Jou, especially after what had happened the last time she had met with him. Even now she was still completely torn, half wanting to run to him and half wanting to run away from him; she had slapped him and had broken him not that long ago, and it was almost painful being in his presence. She had nearly forgotten about her plan then, but when Jean Claude leaned in to claim a kiss from her the action had been more than enough to jolt her out of her thoughts.

And so, with far more gusto than she would have guessed possible, she brought Jean Claude to his knees with a swift, vicious kick.

"Don't you _ever_ call me 'my love' again," she hissed venomously at Jean Claude's crumpled form. She then straightened, glancing over at the stunned group behind Jou. "Oh, that felt _good_. I've wanted to do that for ages!" she said happily. "Hey guys. Your timing is a bit off, but better late than never."

She heard Valon give a startled laugh from somewhere in the crowd, and she even spotted a small smile flit across Raphael's features before vanishing. Jou, on the other hand, was completely blank-faced, his shock too great to form an expression and his jaw halfway open.

There came a high-pitched whine from the floor, and then Jean Claude's strained voice ordered, "Seize her."

Gurimo moved first, his sword already drawn as he advanced on Mai. His hand shot out to grab her, but she danced out of his reach and grabbed a nearby candle-stand, brandishing it like a staff as she backed away. There was another man coming at her from her left and she put herself in the corner—_great job, Mai, you put yourself in a position with no way to escape—_

"_GO!" _Jou's shout was an order, and Mai caught a rush of movement as every man behind Jou rushed forward. The throne room had erupted in front of her as both sides engaged in combat, swords and shields clanging against one another. The battle for Hermos had begun.

Mai had been momentarily distracted by the battle in front of her, but then Keith caught her arm and yanked her to him. "Gotcha," he said as he leered down at her.

And then Jou was suddenly _there_, pushing his way past every single man in front of her and lashing out with his fists and feet to knock the guards down. He took Keith out with one powerful punch to the nose, and as he fell Jou managed to catch and right Mai. He released her and continued to fend off the men around them.

"You took your time getting here!" she called to Jou, smacking one man upside his head with the stand.

"I had a curse to break, Mai! Cut me some slack, will you?"

"But you came literal _seconds_ before I said 'I do'! I was _this close_ to clawing his eyes out, and before that I was up to one thousand ways to kill Jean Claude in his sleep! _One. Thousand._ I want the time I had to pretend to be his doting, fawning princess back—with interest!_"_

"I dunno, it looked like you were having fun to me!" Jou snarled. He caught Mai around the waist in the same movement Jean Claude had, except this time he spun her to set her down behind him as he used his sword to block the dagger coming at him. "Princess of Phonyville, sounds really nice to me!"

"Oh shut up, you idiot! You really thought I'd marry him? How dense can you be?" she retorted. "Duck!"

Jou dropped and Mai swung the candlestand again to knock down two men at once. "I'm only joking. I knew you were faking it," he said simply as he rose to his feet. "I never doubted you for a second, even though I have to admit that it was pretty convincing at times."

"Jou, you ran up the aisle screaming '_no'_ at us."

"That's not because I had trust issues with you! If you'd kissed him you'd be _dead_ right now. See there's this really old spell on the throne and if—hang on—_we're trying to have a conversation here!_" Jou roared in frustration, punching another enemy guard in the face.

Mai shook her head as she stepped closer to him. "We should probably talk later," she called. "Too much going on at once, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know—I'll heroically save the day and come back to the damsel later," he said with a grin.

"I am _not_ a damsel! Didn't you see me take out Jean Claude with one mighty swing of the leg?"

Jou laughed, artfully dodging another blow. "Okay, so you aren't a damsel," he admitted, kicking one man down the steps. He sobered as he turned to her. "Don't become one. Get yourself somewhere safe, okay? I can't stand seeing you in danger. I don't know what I'd do if you got hurt."

Mai winced at that comment, remembering all too clearly the words they had exchanged days before. "Jou…"

The young man shook his head with some resignation. "I know," he said tiredly. "Later. Right now, I've got to whoop Jean Claude and kick him outta my home," he said with a sad smile.

And before Mai could call him back, Jou had disappeared once more into the fray.

She wavered, and then she hurried toward the side entrance. Jou would not be able to focus as long as she was in the room and she needed to get out before someone thought it a grand idea to turn her into a hostage. Her progress was hindered by her dress, however—it was gaudy and awful to begin with, and since everyone was fighting more than one person was tripping over or stepping on her gown.

Mai growled after she heard another rip. This was bordering on ridiculous. How many men could step on a dress in one day?

"Watch out, Highness!"

Ryou appeared suddenly on her left, tossing a few berry-shaped bottles into the air. He yanked hard on her arm and pulled Mai to his side just as a multi-colored cloud of smoke enveloped a group of enemy soldiers. At the same time, Mai felt the hem of her dress rip away, taking almost half the skirt with it—the skirt now rested high on her thighs, though not enough to be indecent.

Well, at least she would not have to worry about her dress anymore.

"You'd best get out of here!" Ryou called to her. He was splashing potions right and left, missing allies and hitting opponents. The results of Ryou's work were not a pretty sight to behold. By now almost a fourth of Jean Claude's men sported tentacles, oozed green slime and fur, were covered in angry purple welts, or had swollen faces.

"Remind me to never make you angry," she told him.

Ryou smiled far too innocently at her. "It does keep things in perspective, doesn't it?" he agreed cheerfully."Now go. Get out of here, and hurry!"

Mai hurried through the side entrance to the throne room. She got through the doorway and pulled the oak door closed behind her; she waited to see if anyone had followed her, but jumped as she heard hissing coming from the door. What appeared to be tar melded the door shut, and she heard Ryou say a satisfied, "There we go" from the other side.

Again, she was _never_ making an enemy out of Ryou.

Mai hurried down the passage way and out into the expansive corridor beyond the throne room, but safety was the last thing on her mind. There was one last thing she had to do.

* * *

><p>Valon saw Mai disappear through the door, also noticing that Ryou had sealed the door shut behind her and was now going to the other side entrance. He searched in the crowd for Jou. "OI!" he called. When he spotted Jou's head turn, he called, "She's outta 'ere!"<p>

Jou shot him a thumbs up and returned his attention to his opponent; Keith had recovered from Jou's initial punch, found him shortly after Mai had left, and had challenged him once again. Jou would have liked to get at Jean Claude instead, but the man had disappeared in the chaos around them. He did not worry about the pompous braggart at the moment. As soon as he beat Keith, Jean Claude was his to take.

"C'mon, you drunk doofus! I've fought baby dragons tougher than you!" Jou snapped, and he blew a raspberry as he ducked Keith's punch. "Your aim is terrible. Who taught you how to fight, anyways? I would say you took lessons from an ogre, but that would insult the ogre!"

Valon grinned before turning his attention to his own fight. He dodged a swing from his latest opponent. "Oh what? 'avin' trouble? Maybe I should tie my 'ands b'hind my back, like before," he taunted sardonically, kicking another man high in the chest. He had found his antagonists from the forest and was happily and soundly thrashing them.

Raphael was not far from Valon, and though he avoided causing fatalities he was not above severely maiming those who came against him. He had found those who he had sworn vengeance against, though said avenging was done more on Alister's behalf—in the moments before the battle had begun, Raphael had located the men who had gleefully unstrung Alister and who had mocked his friend during his suffering.

Jethro had returned to the throne room shortly after chaos had erupted in the throne room. He and Corda were moving in tandem, keeping their backs to one another as they parried sword after sword. Adias and Faust covered their flanks, their spears forcing any enemy to keep their distance. Though the three older men were more experienced, Corda was holding his own.

Rishid and Marik were near the back, covering the retreat of any wounded allies and moving with deadly force. Every swing of Marik's Damascus blades delivered mortal injuries, and men around them gave the two Enterrans a wide berth after watching Rishid knock down four men with a well-placed swing of his staff.

Ryou was darting through the crowd, and whenever one of his potions could not manage to take someone down his dagger did; Ryou's potions were nonlethal even when mixed, but they were crippling to any who came in contact with them. He was starting to run low on vials, however, and he could feel the familiar pounding at the back of his skull. Bakura could feel the battle raging around them and was becoming impatient.

He passed Jou, who had just downed Keith and was looking around him almost wildly. "Have you seen Jean Claude?"

"No, but he couldn't have gotten far! I sealed the side entrances after Mai escaped, he's bound to be here somewhere!" Ryou called back.

One man tripped Ryou and the white-haired man fell with a startled yelp, but before any harm could come to him Tristan kicked the guard in the rear to push him forward and out of balance. "Jou, heads up!"

Jou looked over at the last second, and as the guard stumbled and straightened in front of him the prince drove his head into his opponent's. The blond man staggered for a moment, clutching his head as the enemy guard fell. "Ouch."

"You idiot, I didn't mean headbutt him!" Tristan groaned in exasperation.

"You said 'heads up'. Be grateful I didn't _chop_ off his head instead!" Jou retorted, shaking his sword at him.

Ryou got back to his feet and thanked Tristan for his help before he ducked back next to Marik. "Keep them off me, I've got to let Bakura out," he said. Marik did not reply, but he moved in front of Ryou defensively.

He was reaching for the bag at his side when he saw the priest from earlier. Somehow, the man had made it through the crowd and to a spot near the doors. Oddly enough, though, the priest was edging towards the Enterran, making no effort to leave and not looking the least bit frightened by his surroundings.

He felt the flare of Shadow magic rise just as Marik took a step backwards. "Look out!" Ryou shouted. "Behind you, Marik! _It's Ishtar_!"

Marik pivoted and twisted out of reach as the older man disappeared into an amorphous wall of shadow. "I know," he said grimly. "I felt him."

Ishtar suddenly reformed, grinning widely at Marik. "You felt my presence, hm? You're getting better at recognizing me through my disguises…it will not help you, however."

Marik lifted his swords in a challenging manner. "We'll see who overpowers who, now that we're not playing mind games."

Ishtar raised an eyebrow at that. "Dear little Marik, don't you realize it? I am something you created with your thoughts. I'm nothing _but_ a mind game."

And with a casual flick of the wrist a flash of gold jumped into Ishtar's hands. He leveled the Millennium Rod and pointed it at Marik. Almost immediately the Enterran's limbs locked into place as his jaws snapped shut, powerless to move as his counterpart advanced on him. His swords clattered uselessly to the floor.

"It's far too noisy in here and _they_ won't come unless I draw them out," he drawled. "So let's move some place where they'll come to die, my dear little Judas lamb."

The blow came from behind Ishtar and the entity had but scant seconds to dodge the quarterstaff whistling through the air above his head; had the blow connected, it would have certainly shattered his skull. Rishid had seen what had happened to Marik and had now put himself in front of his brother, grimly determined not to allow Ishtar to pass.

Ishtar rolled his eyes. "I have no patience for you today, servant," he stated, very deliberately not looking at Rishid's face as he swung the Rod in a vicious slice through the air.

Marik could not physically scream, but the sound of his horrified cry in his throat still reached him as Rishid was thrown far too violently into a column. The blow was of bone-breaking force, but the main damage from the slice of Shadow magic had channeled itself into Rishid's staff. The wood had been cut in two and had absorbed most of the lethal impact, but the front of Rishid's clothing was still torn and blood was starting to seep through his shirt.

Ryou wasted no further time. As Ishtar moved on the fallen man he opened the bag and shouted, "_Bakura!"_

Icy air shot past Ryou as tendrils of dark black smoke flew from the bag, solidifying as it moved. By the time Ishtar had lifted the Rod to strike Rishid a second time Bakura was suddenly very much tangible, and with a swing of his own arm a wave of Shadows rose from the floor and blocked Ishtar's strike.

"So we meet in person," Bakura remarked, folding his arms casually. Without turning, he said, "Hey, bald guy. Are you still alive?"

"I will…be fine…in a moment," Rishid wheezed out, still trying to gain his feet. "Marik…"

"I won't let it happen."

Bakura was not the only one who had left the bag. Yugi was also free and was moving quickly through the crowd, his size a complete advantage as he slipped nearly unnoticed to Marik's side. More than one man tried to grab him as he passed, but every time one tried to lay a hand on the boy they would vanish to be replaced with a rabbit. The Puzzle around Yugi's neck was already gleaming as he reached Marik.

_Brace yourself, _warned Yami then, and a streak of cold shot through Yugi's veins as Yami channeled Shadow magic. A wall of pressure rose, the spell of the Millennium Rod resisting against the Puzzle. _Ishtar's certainly able to cast strong incantations with Shadow magic._

"Naughty, naughty, little wizard," Ishtar purred, and his body burst into another amorphous wall of Shadow as he flew toward Yugi. The glint of fangs was visible, large jaws in a formless mouth opening as the Shadows rolled toward Yugi.

Corda lunged from the right, shoving Yugi into Marik. Both fell to the floor, and as the Puzzle touched Marik's chest Yugi felt the spell break and Marik sagged with a startled gasp. Corda, meanwhile, turned to face the Shadows with his sword drawn, already taking a swing—

Marik caught a glimpse of Ishtar's thoughts and the warning bubbled out of his throat, almost strangled by horror. "_Get out of the way, kid_!" he roared.

But it was too late. Ishtar had not slowed and slammed into the boy's right side. The jaws closed down on Corda's right arm and a sickening _pop _rent the air. Corda let out a high-pitched, keening cry of pain and sagged in place as Ishtar passed.

Jethro's and Adias's cries were simultaneous. "_CORDA!"_

Marik shot to his feet and caught Corda by the waist to steady him. A soft gasp of dismay escaped him when he looked down the black-haired boy's body.

Corda's arm was gone. The cut was jagged and uneven, looking as if it had been caught in some frightful vice. Blood was already spilling to the floor and Corda's face was twisted with agony as Jethro and Adias rushed to the boy's side.

"My arm…" Corda said faintly as he looked to them, his voice very small and vulnerable. Child-like fear and confusion colored his face. "I can't move my hand, I can't…Jethro, why…?"

"Corda, don't look!" Jethro instantly ordered when the black-haired youth tried to peer around him, and Adias moved surreptitiously to block the boy's view of his arm. His voice cracked as he repeated, "Don't look, lad."

Bakura blurred from view and was suddenly flying, something akin to bat-wings visible as his form dissolved. Ishtar dodged Bakura and then was moving through the room, Bakura hot on his heels. They flew in and out of the throneroom, dust and small pieces of stone falling from above as the opposing forms of magic slammed into each other over and over again. More than one hole had soon been blasted into the wall. Whatever the Shadows touched turned gray and appeared to wither and die, and most of the guards were quite keen on avoiding a similar fate.

Yugi hurried to Corda's side, already murmuring under his breath as his hands moved. The gestures were too quick to follow, but already the bleeding on Corda's arm was slowing. "I've done what I can," Yugi said then, his eyes going to the battle taking place above him. "I've got to help Bakura. Get him outside."

As Jethro and Adias vanished out the door, Yugi turned to face the match between Bakura and Ishtar. Noticing Ryou nearby, he motioned the white haired man over. "I'm sorry to keep asking you to hold onto things, but could you please take my staff to Téa? I'm not going to be using it for this fight."

When Ryou had left the room, Yugi sighed and looked to the chaos around him. No one had gone near him, wisely giving him a wide berth; at one point he spotted Jou beating back someone that towered over him, but the battle swallowed him once again. Numbers were down on both sides; Jou's forces had carried their own wounded out and away, but Jean Claude's fallen were left where they were, and more than once someone was stepped on.

"Yami?"

_Ready. _

Yami's presence switched with his almost instantly, gently but firmly forcing Yugi into a corner of his own mind. With the spirit now in charge of Yugi's body, Yami flung out an arm to the Shadows around him. Ice seemed to shoot through Yugi's veins, and for one moment the world seemed to dim. Several people scooted away from the wizard, though thankfully these were allies and did not attempt to attack.

_COME._

And the shadows around him answered.

* * *

><p>The moment Bakura had launched his attack, Marik had turned his attention to Rishid. Yami and Bakura could handle things until he got there, but his brother needed him. The older man was staggering to his feet and clearly trying to regain his bearings, but more than one enemy had realized that the Enterran was unarmed and essentially defenseless.<p>

Marik dove for a fallen piece of Rishid's staff and in three strides reached the offenders, swinging his new weapon fiercely against another guard's head. "Leave him alone!" he hissed, moving in front of Rishid. He had no clue what to do with only half a staff, but he was not about to let any more harm come to his brother.

Valon, though, had been nearby as he had sought for Raphael (they had gotten separated in the chaos), and while he had not seen anything involving the confrontation with Ishtar he had registered Marik's current position. He neatly pivoted in mid-run and without another word tackled an enemy guard. Both of them were carried into the group in front of Marik, knocking all of them to the floor.

"I've got this!" Valon called, gleefully putting one man into a headlock. "Get your brother outta 'ere!"

Marik wasted no time. He pulled one of Rishid's arms around his shoulders and then guided the man slowly out of the throne room. "Rishid, are you all right?"

"He missed anything vital," Rishid said tightly as they stepped outside, grimacing as Marik inadvertently jarred the wound. "Will your friend be able to beat them?"

"Valon's fought tougher battles," Marik replied with a reassuring smile. "He'll keep them back."

The courtyard was mostly empty. Thankfully most of the royals attending the farce of a wedding had already left, though there were a couple lingering with confused, outraged, or frightened expressions on their faces as they looked around them. The wounded had been gathered under a tent, and Marik caught a glimpse of Téa tending to Corda; there were others present, and with a sinking heart he realized that Jou's forces were down by almost a third.

Marik found a small space on the wall near the caravan and guided Rishid to the area, carefully easing his brother against the stone. His fingers immediately began probing the rip in Rishid's shirt and Marik hoped to Heaven the wound was not fatal.

Thankfully, it was not. A shallow cut stretched diagonally from Rishid's shoulder and ended just above his stomach, and in some places it looked more like a welt; already the skin around the injury had begun to bruise, dark blues and purples visible against Rishid's skin. As innocent as it appeared, it was still bleeding too much for Marik's liking. He ripped away a portion of his shirt and pressed it firmly to Rishid's chest, ignoring the cool air tickling at his now-exposed waist.

Footsteps came behind him, and when Marik turned it was to see his sister kneeling beside him. "Marik, what happened?" she asked, and there was something urgent in her voice.

"Rishid's hurt. It's not fatal, just troublesome," he grunted, and he allowed Ishizu to take his spot.

Marik jumped as an explosion sounded from his left, coming from behind the castle wall and out of sight of where he stood. More than one member of the dancing troupe shot the area nervous expressions, but Marik caught a flash of images in his mind that weren't his and grimaced. Bakura and Ishtar were outside and just around that corner. Marik rose to his feet, grimly determined. That battle was where he needed to be.

"Rishid, remember when I promised you I would never order you to do anything?"

The older man gazed at him with some confusion, not understanding why now of all times Marik had recalled that particular memory, but he nodded slowly. "I do."

"I'm afraid I have to take that back," he replied as he turned to face his brother and sister. "I have a couple orders after all. Will you follow them?"

"…Of course."

"Look after our sister, Rishid. That's my first order," he said, gesturing to Ishizu. "I know you have watched over her all these years, but I'm asking you to keep doing so. She's going to need you in the coming months."

Unease flickered through both Rishid's and Ishizu's eyes at the last comment; his sister's hand rose instinctively to where the Tauk normally rested, but hesitated when her fingertips met nothing but air. Rishid spoke first. "What do you mean by that, Master?"

"And there's my second order!" Marik said fiercely, causing them to start in surprise. "_Never_ bow your head to anyone _ever again_. Ishizu and I are _not _your masters—we're your brother and sister. Understand? You aren't a servant, Rishid, and I won't stand for anyone making you feel otherwise."

Rishid was struggling to sit up, alarm flashing across his face. "Master, what are you planning to do?"

"See, there you go," Marik said, almost derisively and with a small shake of his head. "I give you an order and already you've disobeyed it. You're a terrible servant."

His older brother flinched at the echo of their father's words and despite himself looked away. Ishizu looked as if she wanted to utter some form of protest, her eyes flashing, but she said nothing.

Marik knelt down and forced him to look back. "That's why you should focus on being an older brother," he added softly. "You're happier being one, and you're a lot better at it."

He rose in one smooth motion and was already striding away before Ishizu could stop him. He pointedly ignored the voices of his family calling after them as he walked, his thoughts already settled on the task before him. Though his face was clear of emotion, his heart began pounding too loud and hard in his chest and he felt oddly hysterical.

If there was ever a moment he wished he could alter Time, a moment where he could undo the past, it was now.

* * *

><p>Bakura had to admit that he was mildly impressed by Ishtar's abilities.<p>

After leaving the throne room they'd resumed their battle in the gardens. The grass was brown and withered from deflected spells, the trees shriveled and the flowers dead. The walls were charred as well, craters still smoldering; every now and then crumbled stone fell into the grass around them.

It was hard to land a conclusive blow on the other Shadow user. Bakura could temporarily injure Ishtar, but he could not inflict mortal wounds. Ishtar had not been joking, either, when he had said he was nothing but living Shadow magic. At one point Bakura had actually managed to take off his head, only for the Enterran to laugh and reattach it as if it was nothing. It was becoming rather obvious that it would be nearly impossible to kill him, especially in this manner.

_Next time you completely lose your mind and decide on creating an alternate entity, make it something a lot easier to kill, Marik_, Bakura mentally snarled, hissing as another flash of Shadow magic grazed his side. He nearly avoided the next blow, one which would have surely blinded him.

It was as they were readying themselves for another strike when they felt the thrum of magic in the air, and both paused briefly as something rose from the shade of the castle and glided over the dead grass.

Yami had finally arrived.

The temperature dropped even further as Yami's own magical presence was added to the tense atmosphere. He was a solid black shape against the scenery, only an outline of his body visible in the sunlight. Yami's eyes glowing fiercely with a light that rivaled the sun; visible on Yami's forehead was the Eye, and on his chest was an illuminated outline of the Puzzle.

"And there's the other," Ishtar drawled. "I'd wondered where he was and when he planned on—"

Yami moved forward then, vanishing out of sight. Ishtar barely had time to realize what had happened when Yami hit him hard and fast from the left. From the base of Yami's feet rose several spikes, forcing Ishtar backwards and knocking him out his stance.

The other user growled and waved the Rod sharply, using the same cutting motion he had on Rishid, but Yami was ready. As the magic reached him his hand moved and the blast of Shadow magic was easily deflected, rebounding instead into the dying willow tree. Yami then conjured arrows that were darker than night and launched them in a never-ceasing stream at Ishtar; the Enterran melted into the ground and moved quickly across the grass, dodging until the torrent of arrows ceased.

Ishtar's previously confident smirk vanished as he rematerialized. He was clearly caught off guard by how quickly Yami was conjuring the Shadows. He lifted the Rod and conjured a spear dripping with dark sludge hurtled through the air at Yami, but the spirit spun and caught it in a wave of Shadow. He redirected it back to the original caster, and Ishtar's hand flung out to turn it into a harmless puff of smoke.

Bakura entered the fray then, his fingers elongating into wicked shaped talons as he struck at Ishtar. The shadows rose in defense and hardened, snapping the talons off, but Bakura's other hand gripped the dagger and he slashed at the exposed face. Ishtar adroitly dodged it, though the smallest amount of black blood began welling up in the wound on his cheek.

Between the two Shadow masters, Ishtar was soon reduced to only barely visible patches of Shadow, whole chunks of his body missing. Ishtar was still holding his own against them, and already he was starting to heal. They would have to continuously attack him until he vanished entirely—and even then, there was no guarantee that the other man would truly be vanquished.

The Millennium Rod glowed as Ishtar summoned several Shadow creatures to his aid. Two monstrous forms rose from the darkness around them, one with burned flesh and spikes studded in its skin and another composed of molten lava. "Newdoria, Golem!"

Bakura and Yami were not deterred. Necrofear lunged from the right to take on Newdoria, and as the Golem turned it was attacked by a man clad in purple robes and who carried a jade-green staff.

"Of _course_ your Shadow creature's a mage!" Bakura said sarcastically. "The Dark Magician? How fitting, considering who called him."

He could not tell if Yami was smiling or not, but an undeniably smug air hung about him as the Dark Magician blasted away at the Golem. Both of Ishtar's Shadow creatures fell beneath the onslaught, but this victory was short lived—when they turned their attention on Ishtar, it was to find the Shadow wielder whole and intact, as if nothing had happened.

"Strike me all you want, you wretched fools," Ishtar hissed, grinning at them. "I may not have an anchor like you, but I am not bound by the physical limits of your vessels. I can heal faster than you can wound me."

There was no denying that problem. Bakura could feel Ryou's exhaustion at the back of his mind as the boy tried to accommodate the amount of stress the Shadow magic was putting him under. Yami was starting to slump, flickering at the edges of his outline; the amount of magic being channeled through Yugi alone was wearing on him. At least Ryou had been in perfect health prior to arriving at the castle—Yugi was still recovering from what had happened weeks ago, and the strain was definitely showing.

"What do you plan to do?"

The question came from Yami, his voice a cross between his own and Yugi's. The Shadow mantle vanished to reveal the spirit entirely, his expression giving nothing away. The Puzzle stopped glowing as the Eye disappeared from his forehead. "Answer me, Ishtar. Once you have anchored yourself to Marik, what is it you plan to do?"

Bakura stared. "Of all the absurd—!"

"I have heard every other motive involved with this plot and Jousef. I wish to understand Ishtar's, that is all." Yami's voice was matter of fact. Bakura, however, caught the slightest note of exhaustion in those words and Bakura rolled his eyes. Yami needed time to recover and was stalling.

Not that he blamed him. Summoning creatures and using Shadow magic as a weapon was taking its toll on him as well—Ryou's own exhaustion was present in the back of his mind, and he knew the boy was dangerously close to collapsing. If he used more magic without allowing Ryou a chance to recover, the boy would die.

Ishtar laughed, a hair-raising sound that echoed on the stone walls. "A _motive_? Do you truly believe I need a motive to be evil? A reason to do what I will?" he asked, grinning insanely. "I am what I am _because I freely choose to be_. I want to watch the world sink into Hell at my hands. I want to watch it _burn_."

"You freely choose to be what you are?" Yami countered, something of disdain in his voice. "I doubt that. You were _created_ to be as such, not because you have a free choice in the matter. You are not free, Ishtar, if you bind yourself to Marik. You limit your freedom to a mortal shell."

Ishtar's grin stretched even further. "Don't you understand anything?" he said with a grin. "I _am_ Marik, and he is me. I am not some ancient and rotting spirit bound to an item and one who relies on using others to manifest, like you and Bakura. I am his shadow, something composed of the darkest emotions and magic far older than even you. As long as he lives, so do I. If I inhabit his body, he becomes immortal—all I must do is wipe away my weaker self. Not all deaths are physical, you know."

"So what then?" Bakura asked. "You're immortal, you gain control of the world and plunge it into Chaos. Hell on Earth. _Wonderful._ What then? What will you do when you run out of things to destroy, you little fool? What's the point of gaining that immortality when you wind up in a wasteland of your own making?"

Ishtar's smile only grew larger. "I'm not an idiot. You're stalling for time. You're older than I, and you preach about how you're better than I am, and yet I'm winning this fight because you care too much for your vessels. Don't be cute, Bakura. If that potions master dies then you're trapped in the Ring for eternity."

"Then how about you face me?"

All three Shadow masters froze as Marik's voice came from behind them, and when they turned it was to see the Enterran striding toward them. "You said earlier that you were nothing but a mind game, and both times you've caught me unawares. I would love to see you try to possess me again, now that I'm fully braced for you."

"Marik, stand down," Yami said sharply.

"No. He's my responsibility too—I'm going to defeat him here and now, or I'm going to die trying." Marik pulled out his dagger and put himself into a fighting stance. "I'm not afraid of you, so come on."

Ishtar eyed him boredly. "Really? You enter a battle armed with a mere dagger when the weapon of choice is Shadow magic? You are truly stupid, child."

"Would that not make you stupid as well?" Marik declared flatly, smirking at the other man. "Good job insulting yourself, genius."

"Marik, shut up," Bakura growled. He could feel the pressure rising as Ishtar glowered at Marik.

Naturally, the Enterran boy ignored him. "Really, I see no reason to be afraid of you. You're an endless source of Shadow magic, but so what? You'll never be a real threat. Take away the Rod, and what are you? Nothing but a silly ghost. Oooh, so scary. You've got no real power, not as long as I exist and can push you back. You're literally the result of a child's imagination. You're just a harmless nightmare that Rishid can chase away, nothing more—"

Ishtar's features twisted in rage. "We'll see how harmless I am when I am in control!" he snarled. He exploded into Shadows and hurtled towards Marik before Yami and Bakura could stop him.

* * *

><p>Contrary to popular opinion, Marik knew exactly what he was doing.<p>

He had needed to goad Ishtar into action, and when he had realized that challenging him to a fair battle would not do it he had next tried provoking him. Ishtar was an extension of himself, and Marik knew what triggered his own temper. His plan had succeeded, though perhaps it was working too well; Ishtar was moving far faster than Marik had anticipated. The urge to run grew stronger as Ishtar barreled towards him, but he quelled the instinct and held his ground.

_Hold your ground. Don't move until you see your target._

Ishtar came closer, Bakura and Yami blurring into motion as they raced to block Ishtar's path. He easily twisted around them, coming ever closer.

_Wait._

Ishtar's furious eyes bore into his. Movement from around the corner of the castle briefly caught his attention, but he dared not look away.

_Wait._

A snarl of smug triumph echoed through his mind. A familiar woman's voice crying out in alarm.

_Almost…_

Gold glittered in the sun.

_NOW!_

And as Ishtar reached for him Marik dove forward, his hand snagging the Millennium Rod as he rolled behind all three of the Shadow masters. When Ishtar turned, Marik was on his feet and pointing the Rod at him with narrowed eyes.

The moment he gripped the gold the weight of the item settled in his palm, strangely familiar even though he had only held it once in his life. Smooth but thrumming with cold waves, power rising and falling like the tides of the ocean...it was alive and sentient, and it recognized him. It was already calling to him, whispering for him to use it once more...

Bakura and Yami had halted some point away, watching the proceedings warily; a quick glance to the left showed Marik that his brother and sister had followed after him, Ishizu holding Rishid up. Something close to annoyance shot through his thoughts. He should have ordered Rishid to stay put before he left.

He returned his focus to the entity in front of him. Without the Millennium Rod Ishtar was blurring at the edges and could not fully form, but they caught sight of the orichalcum stone as it began to glow, keeping Ishtar somewhat tangible.

Bakura and Yami exchanged dark glances at the sight. Ishtar had only been using Shadow magic against them, not once calling on the power of the orichalcum stone in his possession. He had been at half strength during their battle…he had been _toying _with them.

"So. You want to use the Rod to banish me into the Realm of Shadows? Make me non-existent?" Ishtar asked then, his eyes holding savage amusement in them. "Please, by all means. Use it, dear boy. We both know the outcome, though, so I must ask if that's something you _really _want to do."

Ishtar was watching him intently, and he felt something brush against his mind as Ishtar tried to read his thoughts. Marik evenly met his gaze and almost easily pushed him out, keeping his thoughts perfectly clear.

"I will not allow something I created to endanger this world," he said calmly, breaking the silence. "But I'm not going to use the power of the Rod to end you. That won't do anything, since that was how you were born in the first place."

A strange sense of peace had descended on him, the world almost slowing down around Marik as he became acutely aware of his breathing and heartbeat. He had thought he would be panicking more, but now he felt oddly tranquil. All other sound around him died as a voice within him whispered _it's time_. He only wished that Rishid and Ishizu were not here to see what he was about to do, and as he glanced at them he knew they were starting to understand what was about to happen.

Surely there had to be some other way, some less graphic way to end this fight...but no, there could not be. The being in front of him had been born by violence, and so by violence he had to _be_ ended.

"You said earlier that you wanted to see Hell on Earth," he said quietly, and he unsheathed the Millennium Rod to reveal the hidden dagger. "But I'm afraid that you're the only one who'll ever know what Hell truly looks like."

Something flickered in Ishtar's eyes. "And why would you say that?"

He pointed the dagger directly at his look-alike. "Because I'm putting you there."

Ishtar's expression lit with malice, a smirk twisting his features as he chuckled. "Bold words, little one," he purred. "But they are for naught."

As he spoke his body turned into an amorphous wall of shadow, similar to the one that had robbed Corda of an arm, and he hurtled toward Marik. "How will you end the darkness? Show me, little boy!"

But Marik did not move. Once again, he stood his ground as he watched the Shadows stretch toward him. He looked once to his brother and sister, and he offered them a tired, sad smile. "I'm sorry, you two," he said softly as he lifted the dagger higher, and he positioned it so the blade was resting over his heart.

From within the cloud came a howl of horror as Ishtar finally saw what was in Marik's thoughts. At the same time, Rishid and Ishizu realized what their younger brother was about to do and their expressions filled with dread, their complexions paling as their eyes rounded with disbelief—

And Marik plunged the dagger into his chest.

His vision whited out as the pain dimly reached him, and he never felt the blade pierce his heart, but just before his sight failed him he saw Ishtar's body explode into frantically flailing shadows, dusted with light that burst from within an area on his chest. Smoke rose from his face as a trailing scream of denial touched his ears, his family's horrified cry from behind him mingling with Ishtar's.

Then he was over.

Everything was…over.


End file.
